Untame the Fire
by Soolal
Summary: On the mission to the Land of Waves, Naruto loses control of the Kyuubi's vile chakra. The aftermath is more devastating than anyone could have imagined for the land and its people. Team 7 fic, AU, Gen.
1. Prologue

Disclaimer for all chapters: I don't own Naruto.

Prologue:

A malicious, wild, and untamed fury saturated the air. The shinobi locked in combat paused, for they had never felt such oppressive wrath. The feeling felt dirty and foul, but there was no escape to it. They could see the tangible chakra in the air, a red haze. They could feel the foreboding chakra that threatened to consume them if they hesitated. They could hear the sinister rumble of something they could not fully comprehend. Those moments felt like eternity, but almost as soon as the malevolent chakra appeared, it was gone.

Naruto's fist hovered in front of the now exposed Haku. The effeminate boy's head was turned in anticipation of his final moments, but when no strike came, he turned to look at the boy who had unleashed such unrestrained rage.

"Why do you hesitate?" The grave tone in Haku's voice depressed Naruto.

Tension still coursing through his body, he could still feel the dangerous chakra bubbling below his skin. He felt hot. "You're the boy from the forest..." He paused to collect his thoughts. His mind was fuzzy and his body retched at the use of the demonic chakra.

With renewed vigor, he berated the boy. "Why are you fighting for Zabuza, he... he doesn't care about you at all!"

The sudden outburst surprised Haku, but after a moment, a small smile graced his visage. "Zabuza is my precious person. My dreams are his and I will fight as his tool until I am no longer useful." The boy closed his eyes. "Please... kill me."

Naruto sputtered. "What! No..."

"I've failed Zabuza." Haku uttered the sentence as if it explained everything.

With a weary heart, Naruto retrieved a kunai. This is what he'd wanted. He would have killed Haku in his fury only moments before. He wanted to avenge Sasuke and kill Haku for taking away his friend, one of the only ones he had, but now, he didn't feel like killing Haku at all. Maybe he was too young to know what the world was supposed to be - but he knew that it wasn't supposed to be this. It couldn't be this.

He closed his eyes and pushed the kunai forward, but his weapon punctured nothing. The blood he'd expected to gush didn't and for a moment, he wondered if he'd missed at such close range.

When he opened his eyes he realized that Haku had escaped through a mirror. At the sound of chirping birds, he turned to the scene Haku had arrived at. Kakashi's hand was visible on the other side of Zabuza's chest. Naruto let out a sigh of relief. They could finally stop fighting.

As he shakily stood, Sakura shrieked. He whipped his head in her direction, fearing the worst, but she was fine. He frowned when he realized that she hadn't just shrieked, she had also screamed Kakashi-sensei's name. He turned towards his sensei, but as soon as he did, Kakashi fell.

A prolonged silence filled the air as Naruto stared, uncomprehending, at Kakashi's prone body.

Suddenly, and without warning, he let loose a nervous laugh. "Boy, Kakashi must be tired!" He looked to Sakura and then to Haku for confirmation, but the looks he received from the two young shinobi spoke otherwise. Haku's face spoke of anguish as he dropped to his knees and held his master's head in his lap. Haku's cry was sorrowful and full of torment. Naruto had never heard anything like it before.

Tears glistened on Sakura's face as she shook Kakashi's unmoving corpse.

Kakashi was too skilled to die. He was strong, wise, and beautifully composed. He was the picture of a shinobi. He was a man that Naruto revered. Kakashi was someone who had finally accepted him. He could not die. He meant too much to the blond haired boy.

He rushed to Kakashi's side. His sensei's hand was still sticking through the back of Zabuza. "Come on, Sensei, the fighting's over, it's time to go home." He shook Kakashi, but the man didn't budge. "Get up."

It was then that he noticed the signs he'd been avoiding. Three senbon protruded from his sensei's neck. Naruto ripped them out haphazardly, but Kakashi was still limp. He shook Kakashi again. "Get up, Get up, GET UP!" He finally shrieked through his tears.

He turned his rage on the boy who'd taken away his best friend and sensei. "Why did you have to kill him! There had to be a better option!" Tears raced down his cheeks.

"He's not-"

"First Sasuke, now Kakashi-sensei... _THEY WERE ALL I HAD!" _The young blond boy shook with anger and the red chakra reappeared, however, this time it seemed ten times heavier than before. Haku buckled under the pressure and he noticed that Naruto's pink haired teammate and their client had fallen to the ground. Thinking quickly, Haku created a mirror and hurled into it. 

o0o0o0o

A cool, icy feeling trickled down her back. Sakura suddenly realized that it was very cold. The second thing she noticed is that it was also very dark. Feeling around she felt the ice at her back. She visibly tensed. This was the technique that Zabuza's apprentice used.

She felt the wet sands beneath her. Why was it so dark and when had they been brought to a beach? Channeling chakra to her eyes, she quickly realized where she was. Sakura was underwater, protected by a hastily made dome of ice.

This led her to an important question. Had they lost the fight? She didn't know the answer to that. The last thing she remembered was being dragged away by Zabuza's apprentice. The red chakra exuded from Naruto's body. He had proceeded to give the most pained scream Sakura had ever heard, but what surprised her the most was the shock wave that emitted from the shout. It ripped through the side of the bridge like nothing she'd ever seen. Slowly she became acutely aware to the noise penetrating the layers of ice and water. There was no doubt in her mind that Naruto was the one creating the disorder above her.

She didn't know how long she'd been here, only that they were deep underwater. Zabuza's apprentice saved them from... Naruto. The notion that they would have to hide from Naruto in a dome made of ice, deep under the water's surface, was asinine. It had never occurred to her that Naruto could even be dangerous.

The waters raged overhead and even through the depths, she could still hear the primal roars on land. It chilled her to the bone and all she could do was sit and cry, legs pressed tightly to her chest. She just wanted to go home and rest. This was too much for the first mission away from the village.

Sakura glanced at the other occupants of the underwater dome. Sasuke and Kakashi were dead. They were unmoving and cold. This was supposed to be a C-rank mission. Instead, they fought one of the toughest missing nin out there, Sasuke and Kakashi died, and Naruto was driven mad. Why was she the only one left in tact? She was the weakest on the team by far. Even Naruto had proven his worth on this mission.

How was she going to get out of here? It was so dark and she could feel the ice on her back. It was freezing in here. If she didn't get out soon, she might freeze. Sasuke and Kakashi-sensei would know what to do. Even Naruto would hatch a clever plan. For all her book smarts, she never could think quickly on her feet.

Sakura hiccupped in an attempt to force herself to stop crying. If she made it out of here alive, she would train harder than she'd ever trained before, both in mind and body. She would take her shinobi career seriously. She would be the most renowned kunoichi in the world even if she had to train twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week. Even if it meant that Sasuke didn't think she was pretty and even if Ino made fun of her.

This mission had been a wake up call to her. If she didn't train, she would be killed for sure. It was only a matter of time.

Out of the corner of her eye, someone stirred. She whipped her head in the direction of the movement to see that Zabuza's apprentice was waking up. He turned over on his back and for the first time, Sakura noticed how badly he was hurt. His face was badly bruised and cut. His left eye was severely swollen. It seemed that most of the damage on his body was on the left side. His left arm contained numerous lacerations, but it appeared that the bleeding had stopped. He'd risked his life to save them.

"E-excuse me?" She whispered.

He slowly turned his head to her. His right eye gazed through her.

"What's your name?" She asked hesitantly.

"Haku." He responded in an even tone.

"Thank you, Haku. For saving my life, that is." Sakura added hastily. She needed to know his name to thank him properly. She paused and looked at Kakashi and Sasuke. "Why did you save me?" Her voice was filled with guilt and anguish.

"I-I don't know." His voice was hoarse. "Your teammate..." He motioned to Sasuke.

"He was ready to die for Naruto." He closed his good eye tightly. "I never meant for it to end up like this. I just wanted to die, but Zabuza was in danger and I thought I could be of use one more time, but..." He stopped speaking to look toward the surface.

"But what?" Sakura asked, though she could give a good guess as to what he was thinking.

"Are you three really all he has?" The question shocked Sakura.

"Yes, I-I think. I don't really know Naruto that well." She was ashamed of the fact that she hadn't tried to get to know him better. It didn't seem to matter so much back then, but maybe she would have understood him a little better and that would have improved their teamwork. Then they wouldn't even be in this position. "We haven't been teammates that long, maybe a month or so." She added, though it did little to reduce the guilt she was feeling.

A bittersweet smile spread across Haku's visage. "We're more alike than I initially thought. No wonder this happened..." He remarked in a sorrowful manner.

"What?" Sakura frowned. She was unsure where Haku was going with a comment like that.

"Zabuza was all I had growing up. I know the loneliness Naruto feels. I know how it feels to have no one in my life to comfort me or be my friend. When your sensei was about to kill my master, I was enraged and scared at the same time, so I put your sensei in a death like state to protect Zabuza. I would do anything and slay anyone to protect my precious person."

"Wait, Kakashi-sensei isn't dead?" Her voice was filled with apprehension. "Then... is Sasuke..."

"They're both alive..." He looked to the raging waters overhead. "Which makes this so much more tragic."

Sakura blinked away tears as the realization of what was happening struck her. "It shouldn't have been like this..." She wiped her eyes.

Haku continued, "He cares about you three so much that he was enraged at the thought of losing you."

Sakura nodded, the tears returning. "I know..." She rubbed furiously at her eyes. She had made a promise to stop crying all the time, but she could barely hold back the hot tears when she thought of what Naruto's life was like and how she'd treated him. All he wanted was to be her friend. She wallowed in guilt over her previous actions. How had it escalated so quickly? What was going to happen to Naruto?

"What's happening to him? Does... Does he have a bloodline or something?" She asked hesitantly. In truth, she was afraid of the answer. She'd never felt such a vile, malicious chakra before. Even through the water and ice, she could feel its oppressive nature. What ever was happening to Naruto was detrimental.

"I'm not entirely sure. I've never seen red chakra like that before. I can't say that I have anything to compare it to." His eyes averted from Sakura's gaze. In her dazed state Sakura couldn't see that he was lying.

"I'm so confused... Is my team going to be okay? What's going to happen to Tazuna, Tsunami, and Inari?" Her hands covered her face in sorrow as she struggled with her inner turmoil.

"I'm truly sorry for what I caused. I... I hate killing and I hate death, but it follows me wherever I go." Haku hung his head in shame. He should have given his life for Zabuza. He should have dived in front of that lightning technique their sensei had used. At least then he could die knowing that he had been useful to Zabuza. That's all he'd ever wanted anyway.

Neither adolescent spoke for a long while. Instead, they listened to the chaos that persisted above them. They had no idea what kind of destruction was transpiring as they sat in relative safety. As Haku had made his way to the safety of underwater, he'd caught a glimpse of red tails spurting from Naruto's form. There was little doubt in Haku's mind that whoever was outside, would die a painful death. Eventually, it became quieter, as if Naruto was moving away from their position.

"My chakra is running low." The sentence jolted Sakura awake. "When I can't hear Naruto anymore, I'll release this technique and we can escape to land."

Sakura nodded wearily. However, one question persisted in her mind. Was Naruto going to be okay?

o0o0o0o

The first thing he heard upon waking was the audible hum of an air conditioner. Instead of the muggy air of the Land of Waves, he felt cool clean air flow through his nostrils as he took a deep breath. The last thing he noticed was the soft pillow under his head and the warm blankets covering him. He could only come to one conclusion. This had to be heaven. The last thing he remembered before he died was being held in Naruto's arms. The idiot had been crying and he'd told Naruto to never give up on his dream or some sappy shit like that.

Cracking open one eye, he took in his surroundings. It seemed modest for heaven, but then again, maybe he hadn't died. In heaven, he certainly wouldn't be feeling so sore. He threw the blankets off and swung his feet over the side of the bed. Upon landing, he gave an embarrassing yelp. A jolt of pain shot through his leg. He could still stand and walk, but the pain in that one step had been almost unbearable. He felt terrible.

The door to the room flung open and Sakura and Kakashi made their way in.

"It's good to see you're awake, Sasuke." The man chirped, but Sasuke could hear the emotional pain in his voice. Kakashi did things like that often. He'd appear happy, but underneath his mask, he was sorrowful.

"W-what's going on?" He asked, rubbing his throbbing head.

"Sakura can explain better than I can." He nodded in the pink haired girl's direction.

Sakura looked physically tired, but she kept a strong visage. "Haku, the boy you were battling, he put you in a death like state. That made Naruto really angry and he managed to defeat Haku."

Sasuke couldn't keep the stunned look from his face. How Naruto had defeated such a tough opponent was beyond him.

"Naruto was about to finish him off, but Haku used a mirror and put Kakashi-sensei in a death like state too, to protect Zabuza. Haku was late and Sensei managed to kill Zabuza, but Naruto witnessed it all and thought that Haku had killed both you and Sensei, so he went berserk and red chakra started pouring off him."

"Red chakra?" Before he had fallen unconscious he remembered seeing red chakra as well. Did Naruto have a bloodline limit?

"When we get to Konoha, I'll get clearance to tell you the full story behind Naruto. As his teammates, you have a right to know." Kakashi interrupted.

"Why can't you tell us now?" Sasuke asked.

Kakashi rubbed the back of his head. "It's really not my place to say anything. It's Naruto's secret and I'm in no position to reveal it. Sakura, continue." He ordered.

Sakura nodded. "Haku saved us from Naruto by taking us underwater and creating a dome of ice. We waited there until Naruto was gone and then escaped to Zabuza's old hideout. It took you guys a while to wake up and in that time, Haku left."

"Did he say anything upon leaving?" Kakashi inquired.

"Well, he told me that he was going, so I asked why. He said that he was moving on and it probably wouldn't be safe for him to remain here any longer."

Sasuke made no reaction to the information. From what he'd heard, it was likely that the Land of Waves would be swamped with ANBU from Kiri and Konoha within days. Haku had made the right decision when he decided to leave.

Kakashi cleared his throat. "Now that we're all awake, we need to locate Naruto and get back to Konoha as soon as possible. How long have we been out?" He directed the question towards Sakura.

"Um... about a week..." She guessed.

Kakashi nodded. "Unfortunately, it's longer than I would have liked. From here on out, we have to stick together and retrieve Naruto. Let's move."

o0o0o0o

Itachi gracefully stepped through fallen trees and vast amounts of overturned earth. "The destruction is just as I remember it."

"That's right, you were in Konoha when the Kyuubi attacked." A wicked grin spread across Kisame's face.

"I was young and could barely comprehend what was happening. One can hardly count that as experiencing the beast first hand." Itachi's voice was smooth and calm. Not once did he look to Kisame.

Kisame laughed loudly. "My, my, Itachi, you're quite talkative today. I would go as far to say that you're in a good mood." Kisame's eyes gleamed as he teased Itachi. Out of all the Akatsuki members, he'd come to trust and respect Itachi the most.

"It must be your imagination." The black haired teen intoned.

"I dare to say that you're happy to see your little brother. He's right over that ridge, you know." Kisame pointed into the distance. He'd felt the five chakra signatures over the ridge. It was easy to discern that the jinchuuriki's genin team accounted for four of the five chakra signatures. The fifth, however, was vastly more powerful than the other four, which made him very excited.

"I only wish to see how far he's progressed. Anything else would be waste of everyone's time."

They both knew who exactly was over that ridge, but declined to speak the obvious truth of the matter. With the arrival of the fifth chakra signature, capturing the jinchuuriki was highly improbable. Kisame liked the way that Itachi held himself, even in the face of a monstrously strong adversary. He laughed to himself. Itachi certainly was an interesting character.

o0o0o0o

"I've detected his chakra..." The deadly serious tone was still foreign to Sasuke and Sakura, but they nodded nonetheless.

"Be on alert for any incoming enemies."

The three Konoha shinobi dashed through the destroyed landscape. Kakashi's pace was almost unmatchable for his two genin. The only sign Sasuke struggled to keep up were the bursts of wasted chakra made in haste as he bolted through the rubble.

Questions raced through his mind. How in the world could Naruto create such destruction? The bodies that had been impaled, torn to pieces, and smashed had startled him. If he had eaten beforehand, he most certainly would have emptied his stomach. The sight and smell of the town had been enough to make him question if there were other forces at play here. One thing was for certain, he would never forget that smell.

What perturbed him the most, however, was the fact that these were not clean kills. There were literally no bodies left in tact. It was as if some sort of monster had passed through and killed everything in its sight. This was so different from the massacre of the Uchiha, but in a sense it was similar.

It brought him back to that terrible night, but it made a different imprint in his mind. He hadn't known these people. They didn't mean anything to him, but he still felt that eerie feeling of absolute silence. There was nothing alive within miles of their location. That is why this reminded him so much of the Uchiha massacre. It was the damn silence that ate away at you the longer you remained there.

He couldn't wait to find Naruto and get some answers. He was at such a loss at what to believe. The Naruto he knew would be hard pressed to kill anyone and he would only do it if he had to. He would make sure they didn't suffer. That's why he believed that Naruto hadn't done this.

If he knew one thing about Naruto it was that he had a moral code that he strictly followed. This broke every single one of his notions about Naruto. Naruto would never kill innocent people and he would never kill them so... brutally.

But Kakashi had claimed that Naruto had done this. He claimed that Naruto had a secret of such importance that he needed clearance from the Hokage to reveal it. He knew that it was related to this, there was no question about that. How it was related, he didn't know.

He put these thoughts out of his head when he noticed something on the horizon. Kakashi seemed to see it too and he burst forward at speeds that Sasuke could not match. It was then that Sasuke realized who Kakashi had seen. Itachi.

Rage surged through his body at the sight of his brother. Without hesitation, he burst forward with speed he didn't know he possessed. This was his best chance; Kakashi was locked in a death struggle with a blue skinned man, whose sword was equal in size, or even larger than Zabuza's. The two men hovered over Naruto's body. Kakashi pushed with all his might to keep the blue skinned man's sword from overpowering him, but it was clear he was having trouble.

He was within ten meters of his brother. He hadn't been this close in proximity to him since the massacre. It angered him how Itachi's eyes fixated on him, but his elder brother did not twitch. He didn't move a muscle to protect himself. Did he view Sasuke as someone who wasn't a threat? This only fueled the fire that was his hatred. He hated how Itachi reacted as if nothing surprised him, how for someone who was supposed to be insane, he seemed so level headed.

Before he could make another step, something wet and slimy grabbed his leg. He fell face first into the ground. Groaning loudly, he gripped his bleeding face and checked his leg to find that something, he wasn't exactly sure, had burst from the ground and wrapped firmly around his leg, severely restricting his movements.

And suddenly, from what seemed like nowhere, an old man had appeared. His mane of spiky, white hair extended to his mid back. He struck a ridiculous pose atop a red toad, at least two times his size. "It is I, Jiraiya, the great Toad Sage of Mount Myoboku!"

"Oh? Jiraiya of the Sannin is here." Kisame remarked playfully. Despite the man's sudden appearance, the blue skinned man still felt that the advantage was in their favor. Itachi did not remark on the legendary man's appearance. Though it was clear he was serious when he removed his arm from its resting place within his cloak.

The black haired teen's visage put fear in those he was battling. It was amazing what Itachi's eyes could do. His appearance would not be considered intimidating to anyone, especially when compared to Kisame, who stood well above six feet. However, the intensity in Itachi's eyes gave him the most menacing appearance of all the shinobi present. He was not someone to take lightly.

Without wasting another second, Jiraiya burst forward in an attempt separate the two Akatsuki shinobi. While the man wasn't the biggest threat, he hovered dangerously close to Naruto. It was his job to safely escort Naruto back to Konoha, for better or worse.

Kakashi observed Jiraiya's display of speed and strength from the corner of his eye. It was immensely impressive to say the least, but his job was to keep Itachi from getting to Naruto. Itachi wasted no time in sending a massive ball of fire in his direction. Quickly checking Naruto's location, he confirmed that Itachi had positioned himself well. He couldn't dodge the attack, he would have to block it, or else Naruto would be severely injured.

Kakashi was hard pressed to summon a big enough wall of dirt and debris to cover his body. He grit his teeth as he felt the flames flicker past the wall. Beads of sweat dripped from his forehead and he realized that Itachi was not relenting in the large fire attack. Thinking quickly, he sprung off the wall and this time instead of summoning another earth wall, he flew through a small set of hand seals to create a vortex of water. It was a draining technique, but necessary to douse the fire technique, if only momentarily. He bounded toward Naruto and with haste, scooped up the unconscious boy.

"Sasuke, Sakura. Take Naruto and run."

"We aren't running! We've done enough of that!" Sasuke bellowed.

Kakashi snapped. "Run _NOW_!" He bellowed with ferocity that he rarely showed. Sasuke was visibly stunned by the display, but without questioning his sensei further, he grabbed Sakura's arm and the two ran through the rubble towards the sea that separated the Land of Waves and the Land of Fire.

Kakashi turned around only to find Itachi was only steps away from his position. Thinking on his feet, he shifted his body weight and swung his fist at Itachi, but the younger man was ready for the attack and countered. When Kakashi was least expecting it, he locked eyes with the silver haired man. In that instant, the fight between Kakashi and Itachi was over.

o0o0o0o

"I- I've never seen Kakashi-sensei like that before." Sakura stammered. Kakashi had been frightening in his intensity. The situation had very quickly spiraled out of control. One moment, she was struggling to keep up and the next; Kakashi and Sasuke were far in the distance.

Sasuke clenched his teeth. He couldn't believe how far behind he still was. As much as he wanted to kill Itachi, he knew that Kakashi had explicitly ordered them to run. In all honesty, it didn't surprise him. He had processed Sakura's comment, but didn't respond because it was clear to him that she didn't understand the gravity of the situation. This wasn't some run of the mill missing nin, this was Itachi.

They continued on through the debris.

"Sasuke..." Sakura followed timidly. "Sasuke..."

She attempted again to no avail. Sasuke was blatantly ignoring her.

"Sasuke, will you talk to me already?" Tears welled up in Sakura's eyes, but she fiercely held them back. Frustration welled up within her. Why wouldn't he talk?

Finally, fed up with Sasuke, she gripped his arm as hard as she could. "Sasuke, stop!"

Sasuke whipped around to yell at her only to be startled by the ferocity on Sakura's face. "We're teammates!" She shrieked. "Why are you acting like this!"

Sasuke yanked his arm away. The action made Sakura stumble forward and on to the ground. "I'm acting like this because this is serious. Kakashi is probably going to die!" His voice carried venom and Sakura could feel the contempt Sasuke felt for her right now.

The ferocity on Sakura's face morphed into surprise and worry. From her position on the ground, she looked like nothing more than a hurt child. "W-what?" She managed to stammer. "Kakashi-sensei is too strong to just... die!" She struggled to even utter the word. It was so foreign to her. "Besides, Jiraiya of the Sannin is there. H-He's a legendary Konoha shinobi!"

A vicious scowl appeared across Sasuke's face. "Don't you understand? This isn't some game! Zabuza was nothing compared to Itachi! He'll wipe the floor with them!" Sasuke shouted at the frightened Sakura. This mission was more than any genin could handle. In the distance they heard a low rumble.

Sasuke turned. "We have to find somewhere to hide."

"Wait, Sasuke!" He stopped. "You're acting like you know one of them. Who is Itachi?"

Sasuke paused for a long while. With his back turned to his teammate he finally responded. "He's my brother."

The statement left Sakura speechless as Sasuke moved towards a mass of fallen trees and other debris.

o0o0o0o

The two genin sat side by side in the darkness. Because of the close quarters, Naruto was settled in their laps, still very unconscious. Sakura cried silently as she stroked Naruto's hair.

"Stop crying." Sasuke spoke with disdain.

"I can't." She snapped abruptly, though she took a moment to wipe her eyes.

Questions raced through Sakura's mind. The past week had been overwhelming, frightening, and traumatizing. She looked down at Naruto's peaceful, whiskered face and couldn't help but wonder, what next?

"What do you think's going to happen to Naruto?" She voiced her concerns to her teammate.

There was a lengthy silence before Sasuke finally spoke. "I don't know." His voice was tired and sorrowful. It was a vast contrast from the way he usually spoke. This was the voice of a boy who had been forced to grow up too soon. It was the voice of a boy whose childhood was taken away from him.

Sakura vigorously rubbed her eyes. "I don't believe that Naruto could have done something like... this." There were no words to describe what she'd seen while hunting for Naruto. Dismembered heads and missing limbs. She saw bodies that were viciously torn in half. She'd lost her lunch numerous times and it seemed that no matter how many times she saw this kind of destruction, she felt sick to her stomach.

She had cried when she'd found a dead child. The boy couldn't have been older than two years old, but his face and head had been brutalized. It had been practically torn from his shoulders. Flies and maggots filled the cavity in his head. Entire towns were destroyed. The results were unfathomable, but every sign pointed to Naruto.

She wondered if she could ever look at him the same way, but while holding his head in her lap, she knew that as teammates, they had to stick together. If there was one thing that Kakashi imparted on them, it was the value of teamwork. If she or Sasuke abandoned Naruto now, she knew that Kakashi would never forgive them. So, she put on a strong front for Naruto, one that would make him proud.

Sasuke peered down at Naruto's face. That wasn't the face of a killer. It wasn't even the face of a mean person. "It's hard to believe that Naruto did this. He's... my friend and one the nicest people I know." It was usually difficult for him to admit things like that, even in his head, but that had come out so smoothly.

"The only thing I'm certain of is that, whatever happened here, it had to do with the red chakra Kakashi was talking about."

"What do you think it was? Some kind of bloodline?" Sakura asked.

"I've never heard of any bloodline like that before though..." What kind of bloodline could cause this kind of destruction? It seemed more like a curse than a superior genetic trait. If it was a bloodline, how come he'd never heard of anyone in the world with such a power? Surely, anything that could scar the land to this extent would be documented.

Sakura twirled a piece of Naruto's hair as she looked down at him. "I'm beginning to think that this might be the reason people don't like Naruto."

Sasuke nodded. He knew that she was talking about the red chakra. Sakura had claimed that it was unnatural, vile, and disgusting. Sasuke noticed that Kakashi had refrained from commenting during her description of it. Instead, he looked away.

Before he had a chance to give his own opinion, the tree that blocked the entrance was moved. The two genin tensed and drew their weapons protectively.

"It's alright, you can come out now. I chased them off." Jiraiya carried an unconscious Kakashi on his back.

Sakura helped Sasuke drag Naruto out of the hiding place.

"It's good that you two are still alive. With all that's happened here, that's a miracle." Jiraiya commented.

It was then that Sasuke noticed that this man didn't have a scratch on him. He'd fought toe to toe with Itachi and had forced his brother to retreat. Sasuke was stunned. How was that even possible? This man had not only driven his brother off, but he'd done it without getting a scratch on him.

"Jiraiya-sama!" Sakura broke through his thoughts with her unnaturally loud voice. She had matured quite a bit, but she was still loud. "Is Kakashi-sensei alright? What's going to happen to Naruto? You can't keep us in the dark anymore! We need answers! What happened here?" Sakura was clearly distraught.

The older man's face morphed into a frown. "First and foremost, everything that you've seen here this last week is a matter of national security and is classified as S-ranked knowledge. Revealing this knowledge results in death. Understood?" He waited for their reply.

Both genin nodded, eager to hear exactly what happened. Jiraiya sighed and gently rested their unconscious teacher against the fallen tree. "I'll need you two to tell me all you know. Don't withhold anything."

Sasuke sat in silence as Sakura recounted the proceedings of the past week. Out of team Kakashi, she was the most aware of what occurred. Jiraiya listened in rapt silence. Finally, Sakura had finished her story.

Jiraiya nodded gravely. "It's just as I feared." He paused to collect his thoughts. "This isn't my secret to tell, but considering the circumstances, you need to know exactly what happened here and why. As his teammates, I believe it's important that you hear this from someone who supports Naruto and understands exactly what he is."

"What is he?" Sasuke asked reluctantly.

"I'm going to be blunt with you. Since before the founding of the shinobi villages, shinobi sealed bijuu into their people. These people are referred to as jinchuuriki, which literally means 'power of human sacrifice'. Naruto is the jinchuuriki of the Kyuubi."

"W-what?" Sakura stammered.

Sasuke could barely comprehend what he'd just heard.

"From what you've told me, Naruto, believing that both Sasuke and Kakashi were dead, released copious amounts of demonic chakra in his rage. I suggest that you study the history of jinchuuriki. It will allow you to better understand what happened here and what Naruto has dealt with his whole life."

Jiraiya could see the startled looks on their faces. It all likelihood, they could not believe the vast contrast between Naruto and what lay within.

He continued. "The political situation in Konoha is a mess. People are calling for his death."

"No!" Sasuke all but roared. "They can't just... kill him! They weren't here, they don't know what happened!" They didn't know what Naruto meant to Sasuke.

"What you see here is only a fraction of the devastation on this island. One third of the island's population is dead. What little hope people had in Naruto before is completely gone. Anyone who openly supports Naruto is ridiculed and ostracized."

Sasuke grit his teeth in rage. Surprisingly enough, Sakura was livid as well.

"You have to make your decision now. Will you stand by Naruto?"

Without hesitation Sakura spoke. "Of course we'll support him, he's our teammate and we know him better than anyone!"

"If we abandoned him now, we'd be no better than _scum_." Sasuke spat the word 'scum' like it was the worst word that he knew.

Jiraiya nodded approvingly. "I see that Kakashi's taught you well. However, you should prepare yourself for hell when you get home. Konoha is practically in chaos over the news."

"How bad is it?" Sakura asked hesitantly.

"Like I said, people are calling for his death. They no longer have faith in the Yondaime's sealing skill. That was one of the only buffers that Naruto had. Most people that do support him keep quiet about their views because of fear of persecution from friends and family. Almost the entirety of the elemental nations knows of Naruto's status as Konoha's jinchuuriki and it hasn't reflected well on Konoha."

"Why?"

"To put it simply, after hearing about this, other nations view Konoha as weak for being unable to control Naruto properly." Jiraiya stated.

"He isn't just some weapon to be controlled!" Sasuke argued vehemently.

Jiraiya held his hands up in a placating manner. "I'm fully aware of that fact. This is merely what my spy network is reporting." Jiraiya's respect for the young Uchiha was growing every second. Though, he was a little brash and hot headed, Jiraiya could see that he genuinely cared for his teammate, which is why he was getting so infuriated. The Toad Sage was surprised to see fire in Sakura's eyes. It was clear how both felt in regards to Naruto.

It would be hard to tell them what Naruto's future held. "After the tragedy here, the Land of Waves cut all diplomatic ties with the Land of Fire. Every other ally country has refused to allow Naruto to cross their borders. If this measure is not followed, Konoha may face economic depression or even war. Konoha has taken a major hit with this incident. In essence, Naruto's shinobi career is over."

"N-no..." Sakura managed to speak though her heart was beating through her chest and tears were welling up in her eyes. "B-but, what about his dream to become Hokage! What's going to happen to him?" She cried.

Sasuke remained in a shocked silence.

"If he isn't executed immediately upon his arrival in Konoha, he'll spend the rest of his life in prison."

Sakura tried to say something, but all that came out was a choked sob. It was clear she was trying her best to restrain her tears.

Sasuke could barely speak through his shock. How could this happen? Suddenly, he felt insurmountable rage. "We can still save him, can't we! It isn't too late for him." Sasuke fiercely snarled.

"Calm down, there's nothing you can do about this right now. It's unfortunate, yes, but take solace in the fact that he might have a chance to live. The Sandaime is fighting tooth and nail to preserve his life."

"He'd rather die than live in prison where he'll never fulfill his dream." Sasuke snarled. "I'll free him from prison no matter what it takes. I promise you this, I'll never, _ever _give up on Naruto."

An extensive silence filled the air as Jiraiya's eyes bored into the raging eyes of Sasuke. "Grab ahold of Naruto, it's time we head back to Konoha."

o0o0o0o

Author's Note:

As far as chapters are concerned, there will be multiple point of view characters for the story. Each character will get many chapters of about 3000+ words.

Did anyone catch the line from the Boondocks I put in the prologue? I thought it fit well there. Great series if you ever get the chance to watch it.

**Soolal**

Preview: Sakura finds out the consequences of the Wave mission.


	2. Sakura

Sakura

The soft rapt at her window woke her. Blinking away sleep, Sakura rolled over and gingerly slid from her bed. Kakashi waited patiently for his student to let him in. Sakura pulled the window open and when she realized who was waiting outside her window she smiled.

"Kakashi-sensei, what are you doing here." She ran her fingers through her matted hair.

"I recently spoke with the Hokage." He spoke solemnly; the usual tone of his voice had disappeared. That worried Sakura more than she could say.

"Is it… Is it about Naruto?" Sakura was wide awake now. She'd longed for news about Naruto since they'd gone their separate ways. Sakura missed her team more than she thought she would.

Kakashi hung his head in shame. "Sakura, I'm sorry, Naruto has passed." She could see the pain, even under his mask. He blamed himself, she realized.

"W-what? How?" She stammered. Naruto had appeared to be fine. Kakashi had assured her he would be fine.

"He died of his injuries yesterday evening."

She bit her lip to keep from crying. "But… he was fine when we brought him into the village."

Kakashi shook his head in despair. "Some injuries aren't as apparent as others. Naruto suffered severe brain damage from such sudden exposure to that vile chakra. He was alive, but…" Kakashi struggled to continue. "He would never have been the same."

Naruto was dead. She barely knew what to say. There was so much she wanted to say to Naruto. She wanted to apologize for the way she treated him all those years. She wanted to help him. "Does Sasuke know yet?"

"Yes, I told him early this morning. He isn't taking it well." Kakashi closed his visible eye. "He's very angry."

Sasuke's reaction surprised her, but she knew that she should have expected that kind of reaction from Sasuke. He was hot headed, just like her, but even then, they were still so different.

Sakura had a temper when she was annoyed or frustrated; Sasuke always remained calm in those situations. Her teammate only got indignant when things took a turn for the worse, or during battle. She wished she had that attitude sometimes. When faced with these kinds of things, she shrunk inside herself. She was weak.

Sakura turned her head away from her sensei. She was too ashamed to look at him. "He'll feel better when we all start training together again. I know it."

Kakashi's visible eye sagged with grief. "The other reason I came here was to tell you that Team Seven has been dissolved."

"W-what?" She stuttered, this time her eyes blurred with tears.

"I'm sorry, the Lord Hokage has ordered that I return to ANBU effective immediately. But don't worry, I was able to convince the Hokage that you and Sasuke should still be on a team together." Kakashi put his hand on her shoulder. "Be strong, you're all he's got now."

Sakura swelled with joy at the thought of being the only one Sasuke had, but she quickly squashed the thought. She was ashamed she felt that way. Sasuke had no one because everyone one he knew died. She berated herself for that thought. It was selfish and inconsiderate. All she really wanted was for Team Seven to be together again.

She could only imagine that the Hokage was breaking the team up because he felt that Kakashi had done something wrong. "But sensei, it wasn't your fault." Sakura tried to reason. How could the Hokage break up the team, all they needed was one member. However, even as she tried to reason why they should still be a team, she remembered a lesson from the academy.

Genin teams that lost members very rarely worked out in the end.

"No, it was my fault. I could have prevented everything." He stepped away from her window. "In truth, I should have been stripped of my shinobi status."

But Konoha couldn't afford to lose someone like her sensei, could they? "Will I ever see you again?" Kakashi had been a good sensei. He was the one that taught her about the value of teamwork in the first place.

"Maybe here and there." He smiled beneath his mask. "In the future, we might even be teammates in ANBU."

"You think I could make it into ANBU?" She asked incredulously.

He patted her on the head. "Of course. If you didn't have potential, I would have failed you." His good-natured jest reassured her. "Sakura, as long as you have never abandon those you care about, you'll never disappoint me, no matter where you end up."

In that moment, as she looked into Kakashi's exposed eye, she realized what would drive her forward. She wanted to be strong for her teammates, Sasuke and Naruto. She wanted to be someone that others relied on. She hated being so dependent on everyone around her. She felt like she was going to cry again.

She noticed that Kakashi could see the beginning of her tears. Sakura hated herself for crying again, she'd shed enough tears this past week. She wanted to be strong. Kakashi snorted in amusement. "Sakura, there's nothing wrong with tears." She wondered if he could read her thoughts.

"You were always gentler than Naruto and Sasuke." He began. "Someone with a heart like yours may only come around once a century. You may want to destroy that part of you, Sasuke may tell you that it makes you weak, but it doesn't. It's what makes you strong. Always remember that."

She nodded brusquely as she felt the tears swell in her eyes.

"Before I leave, I have something for you." He reached behind his back and revealed his gift to her. It was a weapon, a tantō to be precise. Its sheath was old and worn from years of neglect and she could only wonder about the condition of the blade. When he handed it to her, the contents of the sheath rattled indicating that it was broken as well.

She thought it a strange gift, but remembered her courtesies anyway. Sakura wiped the tears from her eyes. "Thank you so much, sensei."

"I'm sure you'll put it to good use." He smiled and gave her a two-fingered salute. "Later." He leapt from her roof and bounded across the city. It was hard to see him go. She would miss her sensei dearly. At least she had something to remind her of him.

Though, she was unsure what to do with a broken tantō. She could only assume that he wanted her to fix it and use it. She unsheathed the weapon and marveled at the sheen it still gave off after all these years. Just by looking at it closely she could tell that this was a special weapon.

Chakra forged steel was rare and only the best shinobi possessed them. She wondered where Kakashi had gotten his and how it had been destroyed, but with Kakashi gone, she couldn't ask any of these questions. Though, she doubted that he would answer any of them. He was often vague and always insisted that his students look underneath the underneath, something she admittedly needed to improve on.

The tantō was the best gift she'd ever received and she vowed to always keep it by her side once it was fixed. She didn't know where to start beginning to fix it. She doubted that fixing such a weapon would be cheap and she didn't have any money right now, not even enough to buy lunch at a local restaurant. They had not received pay in four weeks, since the beginning of the mission and they obviously wouldn't receive pay for a failed mission.

Her heart ached at the thought of what had happened that day in Wave. It was partially her fault. If she'd been stronger, she could have done something to make sure that her teammates survived the fight. Instead, Kakashi and Sasuke collapsed broken to the ground and Naruto couldn't handle it.

Thinking back to her lessons about the Kyuubi, it all made sense. How ignorant she had been not to realize the pain Naruto was experiencing every single day of his life? It was no wonder that he finally snapped. It was the Konoha's fault. Certainly the Hokage could have stopped such hate, he knew Naruto personally. Did he not care?

She set aside the tantō and made her way down stairs, the smell of food wafting through the air made her mouth salivate. Not even that could lift her spirits, but nevertheless, she trudged down the stairs to meet her parents at the table.

"Sakura, honey, you look awful. What happened? Have you been crying?" Her mother dotted on her, pushing her hair out of her eyes.

"I'm fine, mom." Sakura spoke glumly. After hearing so much bad news, how could she put on a fake smile around her parents?

Her father set his paper on the table and leveled his gaze at his daughter. "Well, you don't look fine. Sit down, your mother and I wanted to have a talk with you."

Her father was a strict man, she didn't dare disobey him, and so she sat at the table without question. Her mother sat uncomfortably next to her father. Sakura's mother fidgeted for a moment before addressing her daughter. "Sakura, we're very worried about you." She paused to readjust in her seat. "After all that's happened this past week, we feel it's best that you give up the shinobi career and do something more befitting for someone like you."

Sakura was left speechless. Give up the shinobi career? After all the vows she'd just made to herself? After all the progress she'd made? She wanted to scream at her parents. 'No!' She would shout. They couldn't take this away from her. She needed this.

"N-no, you can't." Instead of the gusto that Sakura intended, her voice quivered and she spoke meekly.

"Young lady," Her father addressed her coolly. "Your mother and I both agree that you've pursued this long enough."

"What your father means, is that we're worried that you're going to be hurt badly, or worse, that… that you'll die." Her mother struggled with the last words.

Regaining some of her confidence, she tried to rationalize it to her parents. "The missions that the Hokage assigns us are given according to how skilled you are. None of my missions have any chance of death. D-ranks and most C-ranks are simple!"

"Sakura, the mission you just came back from resulted in deaths of over a third of the population of an entire country. Anything can happen on a mission, my brother found that out the hard way." Her father pushed his reading glasses up the bridge of his nose, something he did when he was annoyed or frustrated.

"I have a duty to the village! I have a responsibility to protect the weak and innocent, if I just quit now, what would I be!" Sakura's voice escalated into a shout. Both Sakura and her father were red with rage.

"I…" Her father stopped and looked to her mother. "I forbid you to continue this… this nonsense! As long as you live under my roof, you'll obey my rules! If you want to continue on to your death, that's fine with me, but you won't live under this roof if you do so." She could almost detect a hint of panic in his voice.

"Honey, be reasonable." Her mother pleaded.

"No!" Her father shouted. He directed his rage on Sakura. "Make your decision. Do you want to continue living here, yes or no?"

Sakura shrunk in on herself. "I… I don't know."

"I said, yes or no?" He bellowed.

"Y-yes! I want to keep living here." Her father didn't usually scream like this. Yes, he got angry, but this was different. This scared her. Sakura broke into tears. This had only been the tipping point of all the tragedy that this morning carried.

"For the love of…" Her father mumbled before stalking out of the room angrily.

Her mother wrapped her arms around her daughter. "Sakura, honey, I'm so sorry."

"I don't…" She hiccupped through her sobs. "…want to quit." She curled in on herself.

"It won't be so bad, honey. You're a smart girl, things will work out for the better, you'll see. In a month or two, you'll have forgotten all about this and we can live knowing that you'll be safe. Do you know why your father is so angry?"

"Why?" She spoke softly through the sobs

"It's because he cares about you. He's not a very emotional man, but before we go to bed sometimes, he tells me that he cares a great deal about you. That's hard for him to admit."

Some how that made Sakura feel even worse. Why couldn't her father be like Ino's dad? Ino's father always said 'I love you' when he tucked Ino in, and he always hugged his daughter. Why couldn't her dad do that? "Why can't he say those things to me?"

Her mother rubbed her back in a circular motion like she used to when Sakura was just a girl. The action soothed her. "You've got to understand that your father grew up without a good parental figure to teach him these things. He relied upon himself, always. It was hard for even me to make him open up. But know that everything your father and I do is for you. We want you to live a full and happy life. Do you understand?"

Sakura hiccupped in the after math of her violent sobs. "Yeah," She wiped her tears away. "I think I do." She knew her parents wanted what was best for her, but there was no way that she was going to stop training. She knew that genin under fourteen years of age could be pulled from the program at anytime during peace. Even if they pulled her out, she'd find a way to prove that she should be back in the shinobi forces, no matter what it took.

"I love you, mom." Her parents truly did care for her.

"I love you too, honey." Her mom gave her a reassuring smile. "Go get ready, honey, you've got a big week ahead of you."

Sakura sauntered up the stairs. She showered and prepared for the day ahead. It was Sunday and she knew that civilians got this day off. School would undoubtedly start tomorrow and with it the parade of petty girls she'd thought she left behind. Though, admittedly she had been no less petty when they were in the shinobi academy with her. Things changed though.

She would use today to see if she could get Kakashi's tantō fixed. That was the most important thing right now. She couldn't train with it if it was still broken, could she? Sakura vowed that all her spare time would go to practicing. She would get faster, stronger, and more agile. She would surpass her peers and catch up to Sasuke. Maybe then he would accept her as an equal and not his inferior.

The thought made her smile. She would prove everyone wrong. She was done crying, she was done acting the fool. That was the old Sakura. It was the Sakura that had never seen death or anguish. It was the one that looked at Sasuke and only say a handsome face. That Sakura was a little girl.

For all she had seen, she was a woman now, despite how young she was. She wanted to believe that she understood a little bit more about people now than she had before. Girls were naïve, foolish, and petty. They trusted anyone who approached them. Sakura may have been those things before, but now? Since the mission to Wave, she had changed so much she scarcely recognized who she was anymore.

She would wield Kakashi's blade with so much skill that people far and wide would know of her. That was what she wanted now. She wanted the ability to protect herself and others.

Rounding the corner, she found the store she was looking for. The small weapons store was locally owned. She doubted they would be able to fix Kakashi's tantō, but they would be able to recommend someone who could.

The bells above the door rang as she entered the store. Weapons of all shapes and sizes lined the walls. She didn't know how to use any of them. All that she could use was a shuriken or a kunai and suddenly she doubted that she would ever be able to use Kakashi's tantō properly. There was an overwhelming sense of guilt as she held it. Her sensei could put this to better use. Why had he given it to her?

"Can I help you?" A middle-aged man spoke to her.

She whipped her head around to see a jovial man wiping his hands on a dirtied cloth.

"I was wondering if you fixed weapons here?" She asked. Her voice betrayed her inexperience. She supposed her age did as well.

"Well, let me see what you got." The man smiled warmly. "I'm sure whatever it is, I'll be able to make it look like it was brand new."

Sakura held out the tantō to the man. He grasped it and unsheathed the weapon carefully.

"The rest of the pieces are inside the sheath." She added.

The once jovial man became stunningly serious as he examined the blade. He turned it over in his hands, even going so far as to press his thumb to the sharp of the blade. It bled on contact.

"Where did you find this, girl?" He finally asked suspiciously.

"Wha- oh, my sensei gave it to me as a gift." She knew he doubted her answer. She could see it on his red, blotchy face. She wanted to shout at him. 'Yes, it's mine, you stupid old man!' But she held her tongue.

"Let me take a closer look at this, but I doubt that I could fix a weapon of this caliber. Give me a few minutes, will you?"

She nodded and he turned to the back room of his shop.

He was only gone a minute or two when a girl, about a year older than Sakura was trudged down the stairs. "Dad," she called. "I'm going to train!"

When she reached the bottom of the stairs, she looked around the store. "Dad?" She called.

"He's looking at my tantō in the back." Sakura stated to the stupid man's daughter. The girl's hair was drawn into two buns.

"You use a tantō?" The girl asked suspiciously. This girl doubted her as well. She could tell by the tone the girl used. Did that run in this family, Sakura wondered.

"Well, I admittedly don't know how to use it yet. I only just got it from my sensei today." She was loath to admit that she didn't know how just yet. She could see the superior glint in the girl's eyes.

"You're one of the new genin, aren't you?" The girl with buns in her hair asked. "I'm Tenten. I graduated the year before you."

"Yeah, I only graduated a month ago. I'm Sakura." Sakura greeted Tenten politely.

Tenten gave Sakura a rueful smile. "I remember those months. All D-ranks, am I right? It'll probably be a few months before you get anything significant. Even then, it's just simple escort missions."

She wanted to tell the girl that she'd already been on a C-rank, which had turned into an A-rank, which in turn had turned into an S-rank, but Sakura held her tongue. If she did that, she would be accepting unnecessary grief and trouble. Tenten would surely have questions about the mission. Questions she'd rather not answer.

She would have to tell the girl how weak she was and how much of a loser she'd been on that mission. Sakura would have to reveal what that had cost them. "Yeah, I hate D-ranks. They're so boring." She settled for a simple, expected answer.

"My team just got back from an important C-rank mission. We escorted an important Lord back to the Land of Fire's capital city. You haven't lived until you've been there." The girl boasted and Sakura inwardly scowled at the girl. 'You haven't lived until you know how much it means to die', she thought bitterly, but she smiled all the same.

"I'm sure it was beautiful." Sakura said. "Did you meet any princesses?" Her tone was somewhat insulting Sakura realized. Tenten could sense the slight mocking tone in her voice and Sakura immediately felt ashamed. When had she become so… so bitter and acidic? Even when in a rage, she never belittled anyone.

Instead of making a comeback, like Sakura had expected, the girl shrugged the comment off. There was almost an approving look in Tenten's eyes. "No, they're protected by the Royal Guard, an elite group of shinobi from all around the Land of Fire."

Sakura remembered learning about them. They pledged their lives to the royal family, leaving their own behind.

"You know, we got to meet one of them. He was one of Gai-sensei's old teammates." The girl was full of boasts, Sakura realized.

Before Sakura could remark on Tenten's newest achievement, her father waddled back into the room. His belly spilled far over his belt.

"Girl," He started. "Do you know what you've got here?" He asked.

She didn't know anything about the blade, other than it was Kakashi-sensei's blade. "It's a tantō." She shrugged.

"This particular blade is known as the White Light Chakra Sabre. This is the tantō that made Hatake Sakumo famous. Where did you get it?" 'I didn't steal it', Sakura thought.

Tenten gaped at her.

"I told you, my sensei, Hatake Kakashi, gave it to me."

There was a twinkle of amusement in the man's coal eyes. "Fair enough. If that's the case, you should know that I can't fix a blade of this quality."

"Where can I get it fixed then?" Sakura wondered.

"The only smith in the Land of Fire that has the capability to fix such a blade would be Sato Shuuzen of the capital city." The man offered back the legendary tantō.

"How am I going to get there?" Sakura asked no one in particular.

"I can't help you get there, but I do have another solution." Tenten's father offered.

"What is it?" Anything to get the blade repaired.

"I can have the blade sent in a caravan to the capital. It's sent every month. Potentially, you could have the blade back in two to three months' time, but more realistically, it would be four to six. Shuuzen is a busy man." He offered.

Six months was a long time. Additionally, there was the possibility that it would be stolen alone the way. She couldn't trust that even a Konoha shinobi would be able to resist taking it for themselves. She could never put Kakashi's blade in so much peril. He'd entrusted it to her. She would some how have to get the blade there herself. "I can't take that risk, there's too much danger on the open roads of the Land of Fire." Sakura told Tenten's father.

"I would never have allowed you to do it in the first place." The man laughed. Realization dawned on Sakura. It was a test. "Treat that blade with respect. Make it an extension of your body and people will come to know you well."

Sakura nodded. She suddenly wasn't so angry with this stupid man.

"Every blade you possess should be treated with respect, like you would your own mother or father." Tenten added. "That being said, I couldn't in my right mind let you wield that tantō without training. I'll teach you how to use it, but for a price."

"What's the price?" What could she want that Sakura had to offer?

"Let me swing the blade in one fight when it's completed." When she grinned, the girl's teeth seemed to gleam as much as the blades she carried.

"Deal." Sakura smiled. She'd just moved a step closer to achieving her goals.

o0o0o0o

**Soolal**

Preview: Sasuke has strange dreams, indeed.


	3. Sasuke

Sasuke

Sasuke jolted awake in a cold sweat. His dream had been vivid, more so than any dream he'd ever experienced. Nightmares were no stranger to him, but this was different. During nightmares he always dreamed of Itachi. However, this dream had been bizarre and off-putting.

He tried to rub away the sleep from his face, but when he brought his hands away, he noticed that they were covered in blood. Vaulting to his feet, Sasuke staggered into the bathroom. He flipped the light on to get a good look at himself in the mirror. From both his eyes, he bled; the blood caked thickly under his eyes.

Fear gripped him. This was certainly not normal. Perhaps his eyes had some disease? He wasn't well versed in medical afflictions, but he remembered that his mother had once told him that some Uchiha were more predisposed to disease and sickness than others. Usually, one in five Uchiha died before the age of twenty.

That fact had always made him paranoid. His mother had often worried about Itachi. Despite being a child genius, Itachi had been sickly as a boy and physically weaker than his Uchiha peers. He knew his mother feared she would lose him young, just like she'd lost her two brothers.

Sasuke had once feared that as well. He only hoped Itachi lived long enough that he would be able to take his life himself. Someone like his brother didn't deserve to die of illness. He deserved a painful death.

He hated thinking of his brother. It conjured up fear that he would never admit to. It was a fear that gripped his soul. It would be something that he always carried and it made him who he was, in more ways than one.

However, his greatest fear wasn't Itachi and it wasn't reliving the massacre. He'd already experienced the helplessness and primal terror of that night. What he feared most now was dying before he could achieve his life's goal. That's why the blood scared him so much. It was unexplained and abnormal.

He wondered if it could be connected to the Sharingan in any way. His curiosity was senseless, though. There were no Uchiha left to ask. Kakashi had a Sharingan, but he wasn't a natural Uchiha. Kakashi's Sharingan reacted differently to his body. It would be fruitless to ask him, but it was really the only option left to him. Sasuke knew he couldn't let his potential disease fester. That would be the death of him.

His only option was to seek Kakashi's guidance. Although, he'd promised Kakashi that he would never speak to him again only three days ago. The rage he'd felt upon the news of Naruto's death and the disbandment of team seven had left him in a numb state for the rest of the day.

Sasuke didn't want to seek his former sensei's advice. His pride wouldn't let him relent first. The only way this could be salvaged is if Kakashi came to him first, though if he knew anything about his sensei, the man would wallow in his guilt until he died. Sasuke didn't want to see him ever again, but his health was a more serious matter. Swallowing his pride would be difficult, but if it meant living, then he would have to do it.

Washing his face of the blood, he dressed quickly and left his home. The morning air was crisp and cool, but Sasuke liked it that way. He liked to be out in the mornings anyway. There were generally less people. It was quieter and nobody bothered him. He couldn't ask for anything better.

Sasuke knew that Kakashi would be up by now. Despite the man's lazy persona, Kakashi was an early riser. Sasuke knew the man often spent hours in the mornings at the memorial by training field seven. Sasuke had yet to ask whom exactly his sensei mourned for. He admitted that he was curious, but he never pried into people's lives. He wouldn't want anyone to pry into his life, so he wouldn't do the same to others.

Sakura, however, was a different story. He'd always thought that her naivety and thoughtless approach to any situation would result in the eventual questioning of Kakashi's past.

Though, perhaps, Sakura didn't know that Kakashi was plagued by his past. He didn't put that past her. Not after she'd so tactlessly commented that children without parents were unruly and uncivilized. She really didn't think before she spoke. She was smart, but she didn't use her mind. That's what Sasuke found so irritating about her.

He knew that Sakura so desperately wanted to know why he rejected her advances. It wasn't because she was unattractive. There was no doubt that she was cute and would grow into a lovely woman. It wasn't because she was mean. She was nice and meant well too.

He disliked her because she was stupid and tactless. They came from two completely different worlds. She could sympathize with his past, but she would never understand. She could grow out of her tactless nature, but she would never shake her privileged upbringing. That alone would always be an invisible separator between them.

However, that being said, he was glad that she was in his life. Despite all her faults, she was his friend, his only friend. Everyone he'd ever known had left him, except Sakura. His family was taken from him and his brother deserted him. Kakashi left him and Naruto died. Sakura was the only one who remained.

When he thought of her that way, Sakura was a nice companion. Perhaps, when she grew older, she would realize that he wasn't what she wanted in a relationship and they would be friends.

It pained him to think that Sakura resented Naruto's obvious crush on her. He'd always thought that when they all grew older, Sakura would realize that Naruto was the one she wanted. Naruto would treat her right, Sasuke knew that much.

Thinking of Naruto made him sick to his stomach. Why had he ever been so cruel to his blond haired friend? Naruto was more like him than anyone he would ever meet. He should have realized that before it was too late.

Instead, he'd called him an idiot to his face. Naruto had the same problem as Sakura. He was clever and prudent when he put his mind to things, but he was reckless and unknowledgeable, which was the reason for many of his terrible decisions. Before he received the news of Naruto's death, Sasuke had pledged that he would help Naruto grow out of his ignorance and use his mind.

Naruto had proved himself on the wave mission. He'd been surprisingly adroit when coming up with strategies. Sasuke realized that if Naruto ever used his mind, he would be the most dangerous Shinobi in fire country. He had the raw power, but he needed to use his intelligence to control it. Naruto was worthy of being his rival and was someone that would become an influential friend, had he lived.

He arrived at the memorial stone to find, not Kakashi, but the Lord Hokage. He knelt. "Lord Hokage, may I join you?" He knew his courtesies.

The Hokage turned from the memorial stone and smiled genially. "Sasuke, just the person I was looking for. No doubt you came here to find Kakashi."

Sasuke was visibly surprised. "How did you know?"

"Where else but the memorial stone does one find Hatake Kakashi?" The Hokage chuckled amicably, though Sasuke found the statement to be somewhat morbid.

"If I may ask, why isn't he here?" Sasuke inquired.

"Stand with me and speak freely, Sasuke." The Hokage motioned for Sasuke to join him. Sasuke stood by the Hokage. It was only at this close distant that he saw Naruto's name beside the other fallen shinobi on the memorial stone. "Kakashi left this morning for an extended mission. Perhaps I could council you in his stead?"

Sasuke marveled at the Hokage's deduction abilities. It was as if he knew what he was going to say before he said it. Though, thinking logically, he could see how the Hokage came to such a conclusion. Why else would he seek Kakashi here if not for council?

Sasuke doubted that the Hokage would be able to help. "I wanted to ask Kakashi about my Sharingan."

The Hokage stroked his goatee in thought. "Yes, I thought that you would have questions. Kakashi would have been quite adept at helping you."

"Then why did you command the break up of team seven? He may have been the only one who was able to help me." Sasuke averted his eyes, looking morose.

"It may seem like a poor decision now, but there are many factors that you aren't aware of. Kakashi understood that he needed to be removed from the jonin sensei program for political reasons, despite how pertinent he was for your particular situation."

"Political reasons?" Was it because Naruto died? Is that the fate of teachers whose students die? Sasuke wondered.

"Yes, the tragedy that occurred in Wave was unprecedented. Naruto may not have meant what he did or acted on his own volition in his assault on the Land of Waves, but that doesn't mean that we still aren't responsible to a degree, right?"

Sasuke thought back to the moment that Kakashi had decided to continue the mission. "By continuing the mission, Kakashi broke protocol. If he had made the responsible choice, the Land of Waves would have been largely unharmed." Though, Gato would likely have impoverished the country even further.

"A very astute observation, Sasuke." The Hokage nodded. "Additionally, if I had impeded Naruto's ascent to genin, the entire tragedy could have been avoided."

Sasuke pondered on the thought for a moment before coming to one conclusion. There were too many unknown factors to solely put the blame on Konoha's shoulders. "But, Konoha can't deny that Naruto needed to become a shinobi. To waste such power and still condemn him to his life would be insane. You can't tell me that other villages would bar Naruto from becoming a shinobi. They can't blame Konoha for that. They can't blame Konoha for the unknown factors on the Wave mission; there was no way to know that something like that was waiting for us. It was supposed to be a simple escort mission." Sasuke argued.

The Hokage smiled. "You are correct, but you still seem to be missing the most important factor here."

Sasuke didn't know what he was missing, so the Hokage filled him in. "Running a hidden village is a political game. Other villages may have made the same decisions as we did, but they too would still pay the same consequences. The Land of Waves is one of the biggest trading hubs in the world. If we were to ignore this tragedy, the Land of Waves and other countries would take steps to insure that an embargo was instated. We would lose important alliances and trading opportunities that keep this village afloat."

It was the first time in Sasuke's life that he realized how politically driven his world was. Every decision that the Hokage and small council made was driven by the politics of this world. Even his own standing as an important genin was to show the world the promise of Konoha. He hated it.

"So, Naruto's imprisonment and the disbandment of team seven, this was to please our enemies?" He felt his rage building.

"Yes, but even that isn't enough. I'll surely have to step down as Hokage. Moreover, we're telling the public that Naruto was executed to placate our friends in the other villages. I know that Kakashi has told you the truth, but I'll have to have you swear that you won't speak of Naruto's true demise. I trust Jiraiya has told you the punishment for the disclosure of secrets."

"Yes." Sasuke nodded briskly. The Hokage had done everything to keep the village from collapsing. Sasuke had scene the outrage from the public.

The Hokage chuckled light heartedly. "I have a feeling you'll grow into a great shinobi given time, but enough with this depressing talk of tragedy, what was on your mind?"

Sasuke could still feel the tingle behind his eyes. "When I woke this morning, my eyes… they bled while I was sleeping." He was worried, but he didn't want to admit that to the Hokage.

The Hokage's face didn't so much as twitch when he received the information. He was the same as Itachi, Sasuke realized. He was able to hide his emotions completely. Most people wouldn't notice, but Sasuke could see it. His face did nothing, there was no recognition that he'd processed the information, but that is what gave it away.

"That's quite peculiar… I've only heard of a few cases of such a thing happening."

"So, this isn't normal." Sasuke was tense in anticipation.

"No, certainly not. The last Uchiha whose eyes bled was your brother. It happened perhaps a month before his tragic defection."

Sasuke clenched his fists in anger. Even the mention of his brother caused an adverse reaction in him. However, he calmed himself in the presence of the Hokage. "Will I be alright?" He found himself asking.

The Hokage ignored his question. "Tell me, Sasuke, has anything strange happened to you recently? Have you noticed anything abnormal?"

Immediately, Sasuke's mind wandered to the strange dream he dreamt that night. "My dream…"

"Your dream, you say? Can you elaborate?"

"I dreamed… I dreamed of a white snake. It slithered through the trees killing young shinobi without discrimination of affiliation, age, or skill level. Finally, it reached me, but instead of lashing out, like it did at the others, it coiled up my body. It slithered around my neck, but when it bit me, I awoke."

"That's quite the fascinating dream you had." The Hokage stroked his goatee in thought.

"Does it mean anything?"

"Perhaps… If my suspicion is correct, your dream is closely related to your eyes."

"My eyes?" He asked trying to keep his emotions in check. Inside, he was paranoid.

"Yes, definitely your eyes. I've been troubled about where to put you since the disbandment of team seven, but I think I've come to my decision. You will report directly to me as a member of ANBU."

"I want you to report to this address at six in the morning tomorrow." The Hokage wrote the information on a slip of paper and handed it to Sasuke.

The boy nodded numbly.

The Hokage looked to the sky. "It's almost time for me to be back. It was a pleasure talking to you, child." The old man turned to leave.

"Wait, Lord Hokage. What about Sakura? If I go to ANBU, where will Sakura go?"

"Your teammate, yes, I'd almost forgotten about her. As it happens, young Sakura turned in her retirement forms the other day."

"Why would Sakura do that?" She'd promised him that she would become stronger. It made no sense. All her ambitions lied with him. If she quit, Sakura would most likely never see him again, and she would never achieve the things she'd promised.

"Most likely, the trauma that she experienced in the Land of Waves was too much. It isn't overly surprising, in fact, Kakashi and I suspected that she would step away from the shinobi field upon her return." The Hokage spoke like it meant nothing.

Sasuke didn't believe this could be true. He would have to seek her out. As the Hokage walked toward the village, Sasuke stood in shock. He had to seek out Sakura. He needed answers.

However, no matter where he looked, he couldn't find her. She wasn't in her home. She wasn't at any of the usual restaurants she frequented. She wasn't in any of the training fields that she was allowed to be at, but then Sasuke remembered that she didn't have access to these anymore.

Finally, he found her in a civilian park on the west side of town.

"Sakura!" He called out to her. Sakura was sitting alone on a bench. Sweat stained her training garb, which surprised Sasuke. Sakura wasn't one to ever exert herself, especially since she had retired.

"Sasuke." Her voice dripped with exhaustion. "How did you find me?"

"I've been looking for you all day. The Lord Hokage said that you retired."

She nodded solemnly. "Sasuke… I didn't have a choice…" She tried to explain, but Sasuke was tired of people explaining why they left him.

"You had a choice and you decided to retire!" 'You betrayed me!' He wanted to scream at her.

"You don't understand. If I didn't retire I would have lost my family!" She retorted angrily.

"I wouldn't understand about losing my family, would I?" His voice was laced with venom. "I'm glad you retired, you weren't a good shinobi anyway."

"Sasuke… I'm sorry; I didn't mean it like that! I don't really want to retire, but my parents are forcing me to! I intend to get back into the shinobi forces eventually."

Sasuke remained silent as he eyed Sakura grimly. He believed her, but it still hurt. He suddenly wished he could take back what he'd said about Sakura being a terrible shinobi. She didn't deserve that. He hated how quick to anger he was. "As long as you don't give up, then I think I'll be okay. Naruto would never have let you retire."

"I know." She nodded in shame. "I would have given up if it hadn't been for Naruto. I want to honor his memory by becoming strong."

Sasuke nodded weakly. Just thinking about Naruto brought a sick feeling to his stomach. The two parted ways and Sasuke found himself back inside his apartment.

Even after Sakura had explained herself, he still felt betrayed. He was sick of being abandoned. What was the point in trusting people, if everyone eventually betrayed you?

That night he dreamed of a dank cell. It was dark, but he could make out the figure. The figure was skinny with blond hair and three whisker marks on each cheek. The cell door creaked open and the figure stepped from the darkness.

However, when he stepped into the light, he changed. His blond hair changed to red and his deep blue eyes changed to a striking violet hue. The person that stepped from the cell was different, yet the same. When he passed Sasuke, the stench of death clung close to the figure.

The red haired boy's face was gaunt, his whisker marks even lighter than they were in the darkness of the cell. The boy's violet eyes stared straight forward, never glancing at Sasuke as he passed him.

The boy's steps were light despite his haggard condition. He stumbled slowly down the hall. The further he got, the more difficult it was to see him. The shadows were swallowing the red haired boy. Eventually, the red haired boy was gone, but the stench of death still hung in the hall.

Sasuke blinked awake in the darkness. He reached to his face and again, found the blood on his fingers. Stumbling to the bathroom, he flipped the light on. When he looked at the mirrior, he almost shouted. His right eye bled heavily, but was most surprising was the slowly spinning right Sharingan.

Sasuke knew immediately what this was. He had awakened the Mangekyou Sharingan.

**Soolal**

Preview: Kisame is a pretty mean guy.


	4. Kisame

Kisame

Itachi sat leisurely against the far wall. Kisame always marveled at the way Itachi could be so relaxed in seemingly hostile situations. He and Itachi weren't exactly friends, but they weren't enemies either. They worked toward the same over reaching goal of the Akatsuki. Though, Kisame had his suspicions as to Itachi's personal goals.

Everyone in the Akatsuki had personal goals. Kakuzu joined for better opportunities financially. Hidan joined for great exposure of his ridiculous religion. Orochimaru had joined for resources to support his medical experiments. Kisame joined because he hated liars and what the shinobi system produced. He wanted to eradicate them. It so happened, that his personal goals aligned closely with the over reaching goal of the Akatsuki.

Itachi's goals, however, remained a mystery to everyone. The only reason Kisame was suspicious was the fact that Itachi seemed too driven toward Akatsuki's goal. He always followed orders and never complained. He never once responded to Kisame's attempts to coax his goals out of him. Those things combined put Kisame on edge.

Kisame wondered if he could catch Itachi off guard at this moment. Almost as soon as the idea sprung to his mind, he scraped it. Itachi's demeanor was most likely a ruse. The young shinobi wanted Kisame to think that he was safe.

"The Kyuubi child is dead?" Kisame finally said.

"So Konoha says." Itachi didn't seem to be worried about his target's "death".

Kisame smiled wickedly. "That boy wasn't made for hiding."

Itachi shook his head. "No, but Konoha was made for scheming. It's likely that he is operating under a new identity, hidden well within plain sight."

Kisame met Itachi's eyes. Shinobi from Konoha are quite the schemers, Itachi included. "I sometimes wonder how much of Konoha is still left in you."

The comment was innocent enough, but there was an underlining threat there. Kisame could see that Itachi knew that he was suspicious of him. Itachi had taken him for a brute when they'd first met. Kisame wasn't a code breaker, or an interrogator, but that didn't mean he wasn't intuitive or observational.

If anything, Kisame had lasted this long because of how well he could read between the lines. His entire betrayal of the Land of Water and Kiri had been because of that ability.

"What did you expect?" Itachi intoned. "I was raised there."

Kisame was unsure of what to make of this comment, however. It had a multitude of different meanings. His fighting style, accent, and attitude screamed Konoha. He knew that much was obvious, both on the surface of Itachi's appearance and in the first layer of Itachi's comment. However, it could also mean that Itachi still harbored feelings for his former village, something that was inherently detrimental to Akatsuki.

"Just as I was raised in Kiri?" Kisame inquired.

"Exactly." The question that Kisame had posed wasn't so much a trap as it was a way for Kisame to save himself the trouble of a fight. True, Itachi had no hope of matching him blow for blow, but that had been the case most of the teen's life, Kisame knew that much just by the way the Uchiha fight. Misdirection, ranged weaponry, and genjutsu were Itachi's favorite ways to fight. It countered Kisame's style rather well.

If they came to blows, there would be only one way to defeat the Uchiha, but he didn't want to dwell on something he had no intention of provoking.

A tense silence followed Kisame's crude interrogation. Itachi cleaned and sharpened his weapons methodically. Occasionally, he would raise the weapon to the light and inspect it thoroughly. If it did not meet his standards he would begin again, sometimes in earnest, at the blade's edge until, finally, he was satisfied. He set each blade off to the side in a neat row.

The patience Itachi seemed to possess sometimes irked Kisame. The Uchiha could spend consecutive hours toiling away over his weapons in complete silence, something that Kisame could never do.

Finally, after what seemed like hours, Itachi spoke. "There is business that I have to attend to. I will be back by sundown, at which point we will leave and head for Konoha. I suggest you get some sleep, the road ahead will be long." He gathered his weapons and headed out the door.

Kisame contemplated sleep, but it was too light out to sleep now. Instead, he gathered his sword and headed into the village. The crowd shied away from him, as they had his whole life. It didn't bother him anymore. These days, people had reason to be afraid of him. They may not know who he was under his straw hat, but they could tell that he was a dangerous shinobi.

When he was younger, he wanted to be like them. He wanted to fit in, but after awhile, he realized he could never be one of them. He was too different, but was different worse in some way?

He thought that he would be able to fit in with shinobi, but he was wrong. He was ostracized for his monstrous strength, at least that's what he liked to think. In his formative years, he'd always been the strongest and fastest aspiring shinobi.

Looking back, he wasn't nice to them. He was resentful and envious of his classmates. So, he'd take his anger out on them in spars. Only much later had he realized that life was easier with a smile on his face. However, despite this, he still thought back on his last months in Kiri without regret.

The entire village was composed of thieves, murderers, and cruel individuals, but that's not why he left. He was all of those things; the thing that set him apart was his unwillingness to lie to his comrades. He grew tired of the lies in the shinobi world. Akatsuki was the only place for him.

Rounding the corner, he pondered on Itachi's suspicious nature. The teen was an enigma, but not in a pleasant way. However, Itachi left clues that tipped Kisame off to his nature. Whether Itachi was planting these clues to lead him astray, he wasn't sure. Though, it sounded like a tactic that the teen would use.

He couldn't confirm his hunch about Itachi until he knew what the teen was doing. Stopping in the street, he doubled back. It wasn't difficult for him to track Itachi's trail, the teen obviously didn't take the effort to hide his location.

It was a ploy, Kisame realized. Hiding his trail would be suspicious. By acting like he wasn't trying to hide, Itachi wanted to put Kisame's mind to rest about his suspicions. Though, Kisame may have been giving the teen too much credit. There was the distinct possibility that Itachi wasn't doing anything of particular interest.

"Business" could mean anything really. It could even be as simple as meeting an escort for the evening. Every man had desires. Itachi seemed liked the type to hide his sexual exploits as well.

Itachi's trail led out of the town, which seemed strange. What business could Itachi have in the forest? Kisame's suspicion grew considerably in that moment. He needed to be as quiet as possible. It was likely that if he grew to aggressive in his pursuit, Itachi would realize he was following him.

Creeping through the forest was easy for him. The forests in the Land of Water were always more difficult to traverse. The trees grew tall from the bogs beneath and the mist shrouded your next step. It was easy to reveal your position in the depths of humid swamps. Here, one must avoid the dry leaves, but aside from that, tracking Itachi wasn't too difficult.

He came upon a small pond. On the other side, Itachi stood by the tree line. Kisame slid into the pond while Itachi's back was turned. It appeared that Itachi was conversing with a hooded figure. Kisame couldn't make out any distinguishing characteristics. It was far too dark to see anything with the figure's hood pulled up. Though, he could see the gleam of a forehead protector in the moon's light.

Itachi spoke too quietly for Kisame to hear anything under the water. The hooded figure nodded and accepted a scroll from Itachi. It was then that he saw the Konoha emblem printed on the scroll. Anger swelled in Kisame, but he squashed it easily.

The hooded figure passed Itachi and made his way to cross the pond. Wasting no time, Kisame burst from the pond, Samehada ready to crash down upon the figure. The figure, to their credit, reacted quickly by drawing their tantō. The hooded figure burst from the edge of the pond to meet him in air.

The hooded figure's back was to Itachi, so he didn't see the massive fire technique ready to engulf them both. Kisame quickly called upon the water of the pond to protect him as he fell to the ground. The hooded figure wasn't so lucky, however, and he fell the ground screaming, his body having been enveloped by the fire.

Kisame rose from his crouched position unharmed. Striding over to the now smoldering man he raised his heavy sword over his head. The burnt man moaned audibly. Kisame brought Samehada down upon his head with a grunt. The man's skull collapsed under the strength of Kisame's strength. The man's blood splattered on Kisame's feet and legs, but he didn't care. The man's pitiful moaning finally ceased.

Kisame would have liked to interrogate the man, but death would be upon him too soon, it was best to give the man the gift of mercy. Itachi's fire technique wasn't an accident. He wanted to man to die.

"Oh, it's just you, Kisame. I thought I told you I had business to take care of." Itachi's voice was calm, as if he'd done nothing wrong. He's in complete control of his emotions, Kisame noted.

"Business with a Konoha shinobi?" Kisame knelt down to the mess that was the man's head and picked up the burnt and bent metal plate. With his sleeve he wiped the blood and brain off the plate. The emblem was still clear. He tossed it to Itachi's feet.

To his credit, Itachi didn't miss a beat. "A spy of mine."

'As if it wasn't the opposite', Kisame thought bitterly, but he couldn't prove anything now that the man was dead. He realized now that he should have waited until both Itachi and his 'spy' had left the vicinity before confronting the spy. Although, he figured that Itachi knew he was there and would confront him. "Why kill him then?"

Itachi raised an elegant eyebrow. "He feared he'd been followed by his superior. His life was forfeit." Itachi shrugged.

Kisame scowled inwardly. Itachi possessed a talent for lying. It's likely that he'd already thought about this possibility and prepared. Kisame had no way of proving that the Konoha shinobi wasn't a spy for Itachi. Just like he had no proof that Itachi was a spy for Konoha.

A tense silence washed over the clearing. Itachi's eyes spoke all the words that needed to be said. It was clear to Kisame that Itachi wasn't worried in the slightest. Whether he thought he could beat Kisame in an all out fight, or merely the fact that Itachi knew that Kisame wouldn't act upon anything without evidence first, Kisame didn't know.

Itachi walked past him and over the pond. "We should rest, Konoha will surely give us trouble when we arrive. It's best to be well rested for such an event." Itachi walked from the clearly. It was a minute before Kisame followed.

Sullenly, he strapped his blade to his back. Itachi had made this far more complicated. Kisame came to the conclusion that Itachi knew that he would follow the teen tonight. How, he didn't know. Maybe it was intuition, or more likely, Itachi had prepared for this night not knowing when it exactly it would happen.

Whatever the case was, Kisame would have to make sure to keep an eye on Itachi's movements. When they went to Konoha that would be a perfect opportunity. He would make sure to always make sure he knew where the man was at all times.

It would be difficult to discern what exactly Itachi wanted. His ruthless way in which he handled the Konoha shinobi should be enough for Kisame to trust that Itachi truly no longer had ambitions that allied with Konoha. But it wasn't that simple.

Kisame had already decided that Itachi was a natural liar. Itachi's past was key to understanding the teen. He was trained since he could walk, like many successful shinobi in the world, but Kisame didn't know enough about the Uchiha clan to make conclusions about Itachi's psyche.

The teen was an ANBU commander by age thirteen. By that time he was an ANBU of three years. That could make a boy lose his mind, but more likely, it made Itachi one of the best liars and spies in the elemental nations. He knew what ANBU created. Couple that with the fact that Itachi was most assuredly a once in a generation shinobi, like all Akatsuki's agents, made Kisame think twice about what Itachi's true intentions were.

He slowly made his way through the forest and back to the small village thinking of only one thing. Shinobi were liars and Itachi was the biggest liar there was.

**Soolal**

Preview:

Civilian life is not treating Sakura well


	5. Sakura II

Sakura

It had been a week since Sakura had started school for civilians and she couldn't be unhappier. Sakura didn't belong here. The other children ostracized her and avoided her like the plague, but why would they interact with her? She had been a shinobi and these children had been raised to fear shinobi.

All civilians feared shinobi to an extent. It was a way of life they didn't understand. Even her parents were no exception. They couldn't be happier for her after they'd forced her to give up on her dream of becoming a respected kunoichi.

The first few days in school had been the worst. Sakura's fellow classmates spread rumors about why she was here instead of in a genin cell. Some of the rumors were completely ridiculous. Such whispers usually went along the lines of she'd killed her jonin supervisor, which was completely unbelievable.

However, others scared her in how accurate they were. One in particular frightened her. It mentioned that she'd been kicked out of the shinobi forces because she'd had a hand in the downfall of wave. If she had only been stronger, the Land of Waves might still stand.

She shook the thought from her head. Sakura knew she could change her future, but it began with leaving the past. Naruto would want her to forgive herself. Though, she didn't deserve his forgiveness, but Naruto had always been too kind to her.

Sakura dejectedly plopped down on the bench in the schoolyard. Unpacking her bento she realized how bland it was. It contained nothing she enjoyed and she found pushing it away. She no longer had an appetite.

Gazing up into the trees, she enjoyed the feeling of the breeze through her hair. It was times like these that she missed the out doors. She missed camping in the forests of the Land of Fire with Naruto, Sasuke and Kakashi-sensei. She missed the times where things were normal. Where she could still smile as she watched Sasuke and Naruto bicker about nothing in particular.

Before she resigned, she used to hate the outdoors. The way that sap from trees dripped into her hair and tangled with the leaves. It always seemed impossible to untangle the leaves from her hair. She used to hate being filthy and sleeping on the hard ground. She used to hate when Naruto and Sasuke would bicker. It was irritating when she was trying to untangle her hair.

However, only now did she realize that these were the moments she missed the most. That despite her tangled hair, the air was always crisp and refreshing. Even when Naruto and Sasuke fought, she never remembered how amusing it was until she realized that she would never relive those moments again.

Only when she realized that she couldn't live without these precious moments, did she formulate a plan for the future. She would have to leave Konoha to achieve her dreams again. Her plan was simple. Sneak into the back of an outgoing wagon and ride it as long as she could. From there she would head to the capital to get the White Light Chakra Saber fixed.

"Sakura." The voice broke her from her thoughts.

"Ami?" Sakura asked. She still remembered the pain the girl had put her through because of her appearance. Ami was a vicious bully. "What do you want?" She tried to keep the resentment from her voice, but failed.

"I want to know the truth. Why did you really leave the shinobi forces?" Ami brushed her short purple hair from her face.

Sakura huffed. "That's none of your business." She had never liked Ami, why would she tell her anything? Sakura moved to leave, but Ami moved to block her path.

"I'm not letting you leave until you tell me." The girl stated forcefully.

'She thinks she could stop me from forcing my way through.' Sakura knew for a fact that she could easily maneuver around Ami. "Why do you care?" She asked instead.

"Because I know these rumors are wrong. You wouldn't kill your sensei and you didn't have a hand in the downfall of the Land of Waves. I know that you aren't a quitter. You were the only civilian born girl to make it to the shinobi forces in our year. I know that's something you took pride in. So, why?" Ami brow furrowed.

She briefly contemplated shoving Ami over and leaving, but she realized something in that moment. Ami was civilian born too. She had passed the genin test too, but had been failed by her sensei, something that had most assuredly crushed her. At the time, Sakura had inwardly laughed at the girl. Was it possible that Ami had entrusted her to represent their demographic?

"I'm sorry to disappoint you, but after the Land of Waves mission, I couldn't keep being a shinobi. It was too difficult so I quit." The lie came easily to her because at one time, this could have been a distinct possibly.

"You're such a bad liar, Sakura." Ami smirked. "Once you have a taste of the shinobi way of life, someone like you can't go back to this." She motioned around to the schoolyard.

"Someone like me?" Sakura asked.

"Sakura, someone like you doesn't quit easily, I _know_ that much. When I bullied you, you didn't give up, you tried harder in school."

"What's this about, Ami?" She had a suspicion, but she wanted Ami to say it.

"I know that you didn't quit. You still want to be a shinobi. I can see it so clearly because that's what I want too! This way of life, it isn't for me. I see the way you daydream in class. Your mind isn't here. You're thinking about how you should be fighting for Konoha and enjoying the freedom and power that come with this life." Ami exclaimed.

Sakura was surprised that Ami could put all this together just by watching her. She'd always seen Ami as somewhat clueless.

"I was forced out. If I had it my way, I'd be on a mission right now." She found herself telling the truth. She had no reason to trust Ami, but the girl's words seemed sincere enough. If they wanted the same thing, they could help each other. It would actually be beneficial to have someone to help watch her back on the road.

Ami beamed. "I knew it! I knew that you weren't content with this life."

"Ami…" Sakura paused, rage suddenly building. How dare this bitch act like they were friends after she put Sakura through hell. "Why did you have to bully me, huh?" She shoved the girl roughly.

Ami seemed surprised, but immediately sobered up. She averted her eyes to the ground. "I was jealous of you. You were so smart that I felt like I could never catch up to you."

"I'm sure." Sakura sneered. She wasn't smart, not when there were so many smarter people than her.

"No, it's true. You were able to keep up with all the clan born kids and it barely seemed like you tried! I hated you so much for that. I was a little girl and I didn't know how to deal with that resentment. If it's any consolation, I'm sorry." Ami frowned. Sakura could see that the girl hated admitting these things. She had too much pride.

Ami would most likely never understand what true carnage was. She had yet to grow up and realize the things that Sakura already knew about the world. "You're still a little girl to me."

"Maybe so, but the reason I came to you is because I knew that you have some way of still being a shinobi. I want to follow that path with you. I don't want to be a helpless little girl anymore."

"It's not going to be easy." Sakura stated.

"I know that."

"You'll have to kill."

Ami nodded. "I know what shinobi have to do. Taking lives comes with the territory."

To Sakura it seemed like Ami would not back down. She supposed that she would allow the girl to accompany her, but if she started to lag behind, Sakura would be forced to send the girl home.

She feigned movement to the left and like Sakura anticipated, Ami moved to block her path. Sakura gracefully spun right and around Ami. The girl seemed surprised by Sakura's grace.

"Wait!" Ami shouted after her.

The bell rung signifying the end of the lunch period. As she walked back to the school, Sakura turned. "Midnight, west gate. Be there one week from today and pack accordingly."

However, another thought came to Sakura's mind. She walked up to Ami and forcibly grabbed the collar of her shirt. "If you tell anyone, I'll make sure you regret it." She gave Ami a shove before walking into the school.

Sakura feared that Ami would quickly reconsider leaving the comforts of home and reveal that Sakura was going to do the same. It was a distinct possibility, but Sakura hoped that she was intimidating enough that Ami would think twice before doing something stupid.

Sakura hoped Ami's resolve wasn't as weak as her body. Sakura knew there had been some reason that she'd been failed. All things considered, it was a very bad idea for Ami to follow her, but Sakura needed help. She would do her best to keep the girl alive regardless.

The rest of the school day blurred together. All of this was so mundane. She longed for the open road. Once they were able to get out of Konoha, she knew that they would reach the capital within a week's travel.

The caravan she sought possessed a load of silks bound for the Land of Fire's capital. Not only would it be easy to hide under the silks, it would also be more comfortable than stowing away in hay or in a barrel.

Getting out of Konoha would be easy, what worried her was the road to the capital. Usually, it was filled with thieves and thugs looking to steal from caravans like hers. The possibility that the caravan would be sacked was likely and then how would she get to the capital. Her trip would be extended by weeks or months. That was time she didn't have to waste trudging through the woods.

As school let out, she made her way to the park. Hidden in the hollow of a tree was her practice tantō and equipment. She didn't dare bring the White Light Chakra Saber where it could be found and taken. She had a better hiding place for that.

She strapped her pouch to her belt and slung her tantō over her shoulder. This past week under Tenten's tutelage had been invaluable. The girl definitely had a passion for blades and happened to be an adequate teacher. Sakura was grateful for that much.

"Sakura! Over here!"

Sakura turned to find Tenten and her teammate Lee waiting by a large tree. The one thing Sakura could say about Lee was that no one had a better work ethic. At first it had been difficult to train with him. He set his pace so high that she was barely able to keep up after only five minutes. But now, it was getting easier.

Sakura had asked if there was anything she could do for Lee as repayment, within reason of course. Lee had vehemently shook his head and proclaimed that it was his pleasure and that the extra training was good for him anyway. Sakura accepted his answer, but only because Lee was so nice to her.

Sometimes she felt bad for the way she used Lee. He was a training partner and nothing more, but to it always seemed like Lee wanted something more than that. She enjoyed his compliments and trained with him because he pushed her to grow stronger.

Both Tenten and Lee didn't know that she wasn't a shinobi anymore. That was something she planned to keep a secret at all costs. She didn't doubt that Tenten would try to persuade her to let an actual shinobi use the White Light Chakra Saber.

"Lee, Tenten, ready to start?" She smiled cheerily. She felt most alive when training.

Lee gave her a thumbs up. "Absolutely!"

The green clad boy ventured over to a tree and began practicing with much vigor. Tenten unsheathed a finely crated katana. Tenten believed the best way to learn was to spar. The girl also favored practicing with actual weapons claiming that no substitute could prepare one to use the real thing. Although, the blades were dull for safety precautions.

Inevitably, this type of training led to bruises and cuts, some more serious than others. Sakura had taken to wearing long sleeved shirts to conceal her wounds from her parents and teachers who believed she hadn't picked up a weapon since the day she resigned.

Though, for as much hassle as it was, Sakura still found it beneficial. As a sparring partner, Tenten did not hold back. Her pride wouldn't let her. The older girl couldn't stand losing; especially when it concerned something that she felt she was the best at.

Tenten's unwillingness to relent led to rapid improvement for Sakura. She was able to last longer and longer every day and with Lee's additional training her stamina was increasing as well. All things considered, she was very happy with her improvement. It was a shame that these sessions couldn't last forever; she did enjoy Lee and Tenten's company and their willingness to help her.

As they sparred, Tenten gave useful pointers about correcting her grip. Sakura always made a note of whatever Tenten pointed out. The girl, as much of a braggart as she was, did know her way around a blade.

When the finally stopped to rest, Sakura had lost track of the time. "I have to say, I'm impressed. I didn't expect you to improve so much yet. You might actually be worthy of using the White Saber. You're still not as good as me, though."

"Yes, Sakura. Your work ethic is inspiring." Lee joined the two, handing his water bottle to Tenten, who drank deeply.

"Thanks." Sakura still wasn't used to receiving compliments. "I just really want to improve for Naruto."

"This Naruto was lucky to have known you." Lee commented.

Tenten rolled her eyes. "He was the dead last. How he even became a shinobi, I'll never know."

"He worked hard, that's how." A frown marred Sakura's features.

"If you say so. He has to do more to earn my respect than be gifted with more power than any one person should ever have access to." Tenten answered haughtily.

"It wasn't a _gift_." This time Sakura's reply was more hostile. She would defend Naruto if need be. He had saved her life on her last mission.

"Sakura is right, Tenten. From what Sakura has told us, Naruto had faced many obstacles and overcome them all. He has my respect just for that." Lee was serious for once. Sakura could have hugged Lee right now. "If you remember, I was the dead last too."

"Yeah, but that's different. You had a handicap to explain your ineptitude. And besides, now you're one of the best genin in Konoha." Tenten shrugged.

"Yes, but I had a year to train to achieve such a place among our peers. We don't know where Naruto would have been in a year. It seems like after a month of real instruction he was improving by leaps and bounds." Lee said.

Sakura realized that besides Sasuke and herself, Lee was the only one who had defended Naruto since the Land of Waves mission ended. Most had taken the mission as proof of their fears. It had validated their years of abuse and neglect. Even the Hokage hadn't stood up for Naruto. He'd imprisoned him instead.

Tenten scoffed. "Yes, that's why he's dead, _right_?" Tenten gazed upon Sakura as she said this, as if to provoke her.

Not much could send Sakura into a rage these days. Those days were behind her. The things she used to get upset about only seemed to be annoyances to her now. This, however, was over the line. Sakura placed a good deal of strength behind the slap she sent to Tenten's face. "You didn't know him at all, how _dare_ you talk like you knew him."

Tenten seemed surprised at first, but to Sakura's confusion and ire, the older girl broke out into a smile as she rubbed her sore cheek. "That's what I wanted to see."

"What are you talking about, Tenten?" Lee seemed just as confused as Sakura should have felt. Instead, she still seethed with anger.

"All the times we've sparred I've noticed that if you ever got an opening, you'd never take it, Sakura. So, I tested you. I created more and more openings for you until it was clear that you were purposefully avoiding hurting me."

Lee frowned. "That may be so, but you could have talked to Sakura about this."

Tenten shook her head. "That wouldn't work. She would still hesitate."

"No, I wouldn't have!" Sakura protested. If the girl wanted to be hurt, Sakura would oblige her.

Tenten snorted. "Yes, you would have hesitated. What I did was necessary for you to learn this important lesson, so listen closely. If you couldn't hurt me during a _spar_ with dulled weapons, do you think you could hurt someone during an actual fight?"

Sakura realized that Tenten was using the same philosophy as she did when she used actual steel during a spar. "No." She muttered.

"Exactly." Tenten nodded. "When you hesitate like that during a spar, you learn to fight that way. You can't hesitate during a fight, that will get you killed."

Sakura was surprised how well Tenten could judge someone's character. She'd gleamed that Sakura was gentle and tender by nature just by sparring with her. Tenten was a true kunoichi.

"The lesson may have been harsh, but it had to be." Tenten continued. "Sakura needed to be so angry that she would strike me without thinking if I would be fine afterwards. That's the first step to eradicating hesitation completely."

Sakura could see the girl's logic more clearly now, but she still hated her for talking about Naruto that way. It had seemed so really. Tenten's distain had been real. Sakura didn't doubt that. Obviously, not everyone would like Naruto, but Tenten didn't even know Naruto. She was basing her judgments on nothing more than word of mouth and her own superiority. Sakura wouldn't forgive her for that.

The three tensely parted ways and agreed to meet again tomorrow at the same time. Hopefully a day apart would soothe Sakura's wrath towards Tenten. There was no doubt that next time she would take those opportunities to hurt Tenten. Not only that, she would enjoy it too.

Thinking of hurting Tenten made her feel better at least. She didn't even feel guilty about thinking it. Perhaps Tenten had approached this situation correctly, she mused. As much as she disliked Tenten right now, Sakura couldn't claim that the older girl's plan hadn't worked splendidly.

Turning into her walkway, she found Sasuke waiting on her doorstep. "Sasuke?" She asked in surprise.

He looked up. "I was wondering when you were going to show up." He commented as he stood and brushed himself off.

"Why are you here?" She asked.

He looked away from her. Sakura knew Sasuke well enough to know that he always averted his gaze when talking about things that were difficult for him. "I came to say good bye."

"Good bye?" Sakura asked, dazed. She was too tired to deal with this right now. "Where are you going?"

He shook his head. "I can't say. All that you can know is that we won't be seeing much of each other until at least the chunin exams, possibly further than that."

"You're such a hypocrite." Sakura remarked bitterly.

Sasuke frowned at her tone. "What?"

He's clueless sometimes. "You yelled at me last week for 'abandoning' you. What do you think you're doing right now? Do you think I'll just take some sketchy explanation? No, I want to know why you're leaving _me_."

"What don't you get about 'I can't say'? Besides, it's not like I'm leaving forever. I'll be back."

She should have expected something like this. Sasuke was full of double standards. She was tired of arguing with Sasuke every step of the way, so she just nodded. Sasuke moved past her. "Good bye, Sakura."

"Can I at least get a hug?" 'You ass,' she thought.

He turned back and she hugged him tightly. For once, Sasuke actually returned the hug.

She had only ever seen him angry or indifferent, but this was something else and it was too much for her. She cried for what she was going to do to him.

"Please, please, don't hate me." She wouldn't be able to live with her decision if he did.

Her vague pleading confused him. "Sakura…" He paused. "I won't hate you." He released the hug to look at her, a frown on his features.

Sakura wiped her tears away and nodded. She hated when Sasuke saw her cry, but that had been too much after everything that had happened today. Sasuke made his way from her yard and down the street. Sakura watched him leave, suddenly not so confident in her plan to leave Konoha.

o0o0o0o

I enjoy writing Sakura chapters. They come very naturally. Also, thanks to **hiyuusha **for my first review. I appreciate it.

**Soolal**

Preview: Naruto really is dead.


	6. Naruto

Naruto

"I look… different…" Naruto gazed at himself in the hand held mirror. His once blond hair was now red and his blue eyes had changed to violet.

"It was a necessary change. No one can know that you are alive." Danzo spoke softly, but with a commanding undercurrent. The man had never raised his voice in the entire time Naruto had known him.

"How is this possible?" Naruto found himself pondering. He knew of no way to change someone's eye color.

"A jutsu I developed many years ago. I named it Latent Gene Recovery for obvious reasons. It brings forth a new combination of genes that will alter your appearance. Most commonly, it is used during infiltration missions and cannot be undone after it is completed."

Naruto nodded numbly. He squashed the feeling of despair that was upon him. This was his life now. He'd had no choice but to except the proposition that they elderly man had given him.

_One Week Earlier_

_Naruto sat alone in the dark cell deep beneath Konoha. He felt despair so great that he hadn't possessed the energy to move in days. He felt betrayed and yet at the same time, he knew he deserved it. _

_How could he have killed so many people? When he first awoke, he thought that the memories had been dreams. They were fuzzy and out of focus, but he still remembered the rage he felt. The unrestrained fury that had taken him upon realizing that everyone he cared about was dying and he was unable to prevent it. How could he have lost control like that?_

_So, in many ways, he did deserve to be locked away forever. He was a danger, a menace. Thinking back on his childhood, he realized that the people of the village had been justified in their contempt for him. He was too weak to control the Kyuubi. How had he ever expected to be able to? The Kyuubi was a beast that the Fourth Hokage had given his life to restrain. He was only a child, too young and naïve to realize that no matter what he did and no matter where he went, that burden would follow him. _

_Upon waking, he had spoken to the Hokage, a man he viewed as close as a grandfather. The wizened man had few words to speak to Naruto. He told him that his hand was forced. He had explained to Naruto that the boy would have to give up his freedom for the good of the village. Naruto had nodded meekly. He was in shock. _

_It was then that Naruto realized that he had put Konoha into a dangerous situation. The guilt that grated at his soul was even worse than he had expected. He cared about the old man and it crushed Naruto to learn that the Hokage was retiring. His had was forced, Naruto realized. 'Because of me.' He thought. _

_The best and worst part of that day was finding out that Kakashi and Sasuke had both survived. He was glad that they were alive, but he also realized that he had killed a third of a nation over the mere assumption that his precious people were dead. How foolish could he be? _

_Naruto was always able to shake off the comments of how daft and tactless he was. How he was an idiot who never thought anything out. Back then, those words were just words. They didn't mean anything to him. Now though, he realized that he should have taken those comments to heart. Maybe if he wasn't so angry all the time, he would be able to control his temper more often. He'd always been an angry child. Now, however, he was just miserable. _

_The worst part, however, wasn't the fact that he slaughtered so many people; it was the fact that he felt nothing for them. He wanted to feel something for them. He wanted to feel as though they had meant something. But, to him, they didn't mean anything. They were just crude shapes in his memory. _

_He had not known them on a personal level; he hadn't even known their names. He felt worse for himself than he ever would for those people. He pitied them, yes, but actually caring about them, was something else entirely. He regretted what he had done, but for the wrong reasons. He found himself regretting it because of where it had led him and his precious people. _

_When had he become so bleak? It was when he realized that he wasn't a good person. He was self centered and brash. He finally understood why so many people didn't like him. He laughed softly to himself. If only he'd known these things before, he might have been able to prevent screwing up so much. _

_The door swung open suddenly, breaking Naruto from his thoughts. Naruto covered his eyes from the bright hall lights. An elderly man stepped into his cell. His right side was heavily bandaged. He leaned against a cane. Naruto pitied how weak the man looked. Life must been a hassle for him. "Do you know who I am, child?" The man asked. _

"_No." Naruto answered bluntly. His eyes were still adjusting to the light, but Naruto knew he'd never met the man before. _

_The man smiled shrewdly. "I would be surprised if you did." _

"_Why are you here?" Naruto questioned. _

"_Straight to the point, I like that." The man laughed lightly. "I'm here because you have too much potential to waste away in a place such as this. Your talents can better be used elsewhere." The man explained. _

_Naruto became very attentive. "Leave here?" He asked. "No… I'm too much of a danger." _

_The man shook his head. "That is only because you have yet to learn to control your power."_

"_No," Naruto shook his head. "I can't control it. I proved that much. Something like this can't be controlled." _

"_You speak with such certainty, but how can you be sure of that?" The elderly man asked. "Surely you've heard of Uchiha Madara and Senju Hashirama?"_

"_Yes, but they were the only ones able to do that and they're long dead now." He huffed in annoyance. "Besides, I don't have either of the abilities of either of those two." _

"_Perhaps you've heard of the special chakra chains of your Uzumaki ancestors?" _

"_My Uzumaki ancestors?" He asked in surprise. "I haven't." He admitted._

"_I wouldn't have expected you to know that. Your mother was the last one with this unique ability." The man stated calmly. _

"_My mother?" Naruto blurted out. "Who was she? Tell me about her." He demanded. _

"_That information isn't relevant right now-"_

"_Yes it is! If you want me to come with you, tell me about her." Naruto tried to get up, but dropped to his knees in exhaustion. He hadn't realized how weak he was until now. _

"_I'm content on letting you rot here. I have other ways to access the Kyuubi's power. _I'm _choosing this option, but if you decline, do not expect to ever see the light of day ever again." The man's voice was icy. _

_Naruto realized that this is all he was. He was a living container for something far more important than him. It left a bitter taste in his mouth. "Even if I went with you right now, my mother is dead. There is no one to teach me the chakra chains and there are no Uchiha capable of controlling the beast. It's uncontrollable as far as I'm concerned." He answered stubbornly. _

"_Uncontrollable, you say?" _

_Naruto felt the chakra swell beneath his skin. He felt hot and dizzy. Trying to suppress the chakra in this state was too difficult. He was too weak. He felt the chakra exude from the pours in his body, cloaking him with white-hot pain. He slid to the floor in pain. As soon as it appeared, however, it was gone. "H-how…" Naruto spoke haggardly. His breathing was uneven and labored. _

"_Do not presume that something like this is out of my reach. I can control this power and so can you. I can teach you how to wield this power with more efficiency than even myself. Is that something you want?" The man leaned his cane against the wall and stepped closer. He held his hand out to Naruto. "All you have to do is take my hand."_

"_I want to… but what if I can't learn how? What will you do?" _

_The man snorted. "From what I had heard about you, Uzumaki Naruto was never one to give up. I'm offering you the opportunity to fight for Konoha and protect whatever is dear to you. So, will you let your insecurities bring demise upon you, or will you stand where others would fall." _

_What had happened to him? He used to be so confident about anything he desired to do. He hadn't doubted himself when he learned the Shadow Clone, why should this be any different? He wanted that confidence back. He wanted to fight for Konoha. "Teach me." He grasped the elder man's hand._

"_You may call me Lord Danzo."_

Present

Root Base

"I must say your progression has been impressive." Danzo gazed over the boy's shoulder at the book the man had commanded him to read.

Naruto wanted to get to training to control the beast like Danzo had promised. "I could have done this in prison. I want to learn something useful." Naruto complained.

"You _are_ learning something useful. There is nothing more important than knowledge. If there is one thing I hope you've learned this past week, I would hope it was that." Danzo commented.

"I hate reading."

"Everyone does at first. Especially children. It takes concentration and those with weak concentration usually hate it. Are you weak?" The man asked in a curious manner.

"No." Naruto answered. He would prove to this old man that he could learn with ease.

"I didn't think so. The mind is just as important as the body and as it stands now, your mind is severely lagging behind your body. Once you've proved to me that your knowledge is at an adequate level we can begin your training." The elderly man ran his fingers across the books in the under ground library. Finally, he picked one off the shelf and sat beside Naruto.

"When will that be?" Naruto queried.

"When I deem it appropriate." Danzo answered simply. He leafed through the pages until coming to a marked passage.

Naruto read beside Danzo for what seemed like hours. Naruto knew he couldn't leave until Danzo was finished. So, instead of complaining like he wanted to, he tried to concentration at the text before him. The more he recalled when Danzo quizzed him, the closer he would be to training.

He was loath to admit it, but he actually found his text fascinating. The book was titled A History of the Jinchuuriki. He didn't care so much about the previous jinchuuriki of other nations, though he read up on them anyway. He couldn't be sure what Danzo would quiz him on. What peaked his interest was the two kunoichi who had been the jinchuuriki of the Kyuubi.

The first was Uzumaki Mito and the second was Uzumaki Kushina. Both were members of _his _family that he had only discovered existed weeks ago. The two kunoichi possessed similar traits. Both had the strongest chakra amongst their clan members at the time they became the jinchuuriki of the Kyuubi.

Mito was able to manifest chakra chains, which allowed her to help seal the Kyuubi after her husband, Senju Hashirama, defeated Uchiha Madara. She held the Kyuubi until her deathbed. She passed it on to a young girl named Kushina. The girl was chosen because of her special chakra.

He learned that very few Uzumaki clan members manifested this ability. It required extremely thick chakra coils as well as dense chakra. After the Latent Gene Recovery, Naruto was sure he would be able to use them. The thickness of his chakra had surprised him at first, but he quickly became used to feeling.

He was the same Naruto however much his outward appearance changed. Behind his red hair and violet eyes, he still desired to protect his friends, even if they didn't know he was helping.

Danzo had explained on the first day that Root was the dagger in the dark, taking missions that Konoha couldn't openly accept. They were the roots in the darkness. A tree couldn't survive without roots, that much was obvious. While his friends bathed in the warmth of the sun, he would protect them from the shadows.

Honestly, he quite liked the feeling of anonymity. No one took a notice to him. He could go wherever he wanted without worry. He was seen as just another member of root. It was something he'd never experienced. Naruto wasn't special anymore and he loved it. He was more normal than he'd ever been, as strange as that seemed.

Finally, Danzo closed his book. "Come with me, there is something I would like to show you."

Naruto obliged and followed Danzo. Naruto was always surprised at how large the under ground base was. When he had lived in Konoha, he could never have imagined a massive military base just below his feet, and yet, here it was.

"Child." Danzo addressed Naruto. "From now on you will be known as Saisei. You must give up all you were and are and embrace this new identity. Naruto is dead."

Naruto had feared when this day would come, when he wouldn't be known as Naruto anymore. When he would be forced to shed his identity. However, maybe it was better that Naruto die. Naruto's life was full of pain and failure. He could make himself anew.

"Now, Saisei, tell me. What is the purpose of the seal on your tongue?" Danzo asked.

"If I am captured beyond enemy lines, I won't be able to indulge Konoha's secrets." Naruto answered simply.

Danzo nodded. "It is an important part of every Root shinobi. We only breed ideal shinobi. As it stands, you are not the ideal shinobi. You let your emotions rule your thoughts. Can you deny this?"

"No…" Naruto answered. He had proved that much in the Land of Waves.

They came to the end of the hall where a massive steel door sat in the doorway. Danzo unlatched the handle and pulled the door open. Naruto was assaulted with the stench of blood.

"When you no longer fear pain and death, Naruto will be dead. Go forth, child."

Naruto stepped into the darkness of the room. The steel door closed behind him and he was left with no light. He would embrace the darkness.

o0o0o0o

Saisei means second punitive expedition. Very fitting for Naruto.

**Soolal**

Preview: Kisame arrives in Konoha. Fun will be had by all.


	7. Kisame II

Note: This is not a new chapter. The only change is the Preview at the end. The next chapter will be out tomorrow, 10/17/12.

Kisame

He couldn't help but be impressed by the gates to Konoha. They were said to be impenetrable by jutsu. Not only that, they couldn't be climbed using chakra. How Konoha accomplished this eluded him, but it was said that Senju Hashirama had created the massive walls and gates from his own Wood Release.

However, as impressive as the gates were, he wasn't impressed by the gate guards. A well-placed genjutsu by Itachi easily disposed the man. Kisame laughed to himself. Sometimes it astonished him how easy it was to infiltrate a village.

"So, where will we search for the Kyuubi?" Kisame asked.

"We'll split up. Search where you will, it makes no matter to me." Itachi answered calmly.

Kisame grinned wickedly. "Where will you be?"

"There are only a few places the Kyuubi could be. I doubt he is in the open. I'll start with the T&I building and go from there."

Kisame noticed that his partner's Sharingan was active. He was expecting to fight, Kisame realized. He would most certainly have to. Itachi left him to his devices soon after. Kisame had decided that he didn't really care where Itachi went within the village. He doubted that Itachi was reporting to a high authority within Konoha. Itachi couldn't come back here after what he'd done.

Most likely, Itachi was discretely dropping off the information in the scroll he had burned under the guise of searching for the rather elusive Kyuubi. He should be worried that Itachi would betray the organization, but he found himself realizing that Itachi could never go back. Most likely, Itachi's goals didn't have anything to do with Konoha or Akatsuki. So, if he wasn't tied to these two organizations, what was he tied to? Was he really tied to anything?

Kisame had no intention of finding the Kyuubi in Konoha. It wasn't his assignment anyway. His goal was different. That's why he headed to the Uchiha district. He wished to find some evidence of Itachi's motives. This seemed like the logical place to start. He wasn't sure if anyone still lived here, but regardless, Konoha had left it standing for reasons that escaped him.

He unstrapped Samehada. His great sword detected chakra in the vicinity. There was someone very near. That intrigued him. He let Samehada guide him to a temple. Stepping inside he noticed that one of the mats was moved carelessly to the side revealing a staircase. Curiosity gripped him so he followed the stairs deep into the ground.

The figure at the end of the room was reading a tablet by the candlelight. The boy was so entranced that he didn't even realize that Kisame was right behind him. Kisame frowned when he couldn't read the tablet.

"What does it say?" Kisame asked.

The boy whipped around in surprise. Kisame could see the resemblance between Itachi and this boy, but what made him intake a breath in surprise were his eyes. The boy possessed the Mangekyou Sharingan.

His surprise quickly turned into a grin. "You must be Sasuke. And you've got the next level of the Sharingan. That's impressive, I'm sure Itachi would love to know this development."

"How do you know my brother?" The boy growled.

Kisame laughed. "He's my partner, at least I think he is."

"Where is he?" Sasuke asked more calmly this time, but his eyes spoke of a different feeling. Kisame could see the rage beneath his skin. It was almost palpable. The boy tried his best to repress it, but Kisame could see how badly the boy wanted to find and kill Itachi. In his current state, he would be no match for Itachi. He was just a boy after all. Even if he possessed the Mangekyou Sharingan, the boy probably had little experience with it.

Kisame shrugged. "I don't know. Somewhere in Konoha would be my guess." He broke out into a sinister grin. "I can see how badly you want see your brother, but you'll have to get out of here first." He held his sword in front of him. The tip nearly reached Sasuke.

"I have no quarrel with you. Move."

Kisame snorted. The boy was confident if anything. "I don't think Itachi would like it if I killed you. Though, I doubt he would care if I roughed you up a bit."

It appeared as though Sasuke wouldn't make the first move, so Kisame swung his sword at the boy. The boy was agile and quick enough to get two kunai up in time to block Samehada. Kisame was surprised when, instead of fighting against the force of the sword, he accepted it. The force propelled him to the far wall where Sasuke landed deftly. He seemed largely unharmed. Impressive, Kisame thought.

The boy vaulted off the wall with a shout, flinging one kunai at Kisame. He tilted his head to the side, letting the kunai smack into the wall behind him. He blocked the stab from Sasuke with Samehada. The boy vaulted backwards. Landing across the room he jerked his hand, the wire becoming visible and tearing the kunai out of the wall. Kisame sidestepped, the kunai now headed in Sasuke's direction.

The boy spun, the kunai swinging dangerously through the air to assault Kisame from his weak side. Kisame stabbed Samehada into the ground, letting the kunai wrap around the sword. He charged a surprised Sasuke. The boy had never expected him to leave his sword, it went against logic, but that's often times what made one shinobi a victor over another. If they were able and willing to pull the unexpected, it became that much more difficult for the opponent.

Sasuke lunged forward in an attempt to stab Kisame, but the man batted the weapon away. Kisame let loose a vicious elbow to Sasuke's head. The boy crumpled to the ground unconscious.

Kisame dusted himself off and retrieved his sword. The boy was no challenge for him now, but he couldn't deny that Itachi's brother would be formidable in the future. He considered offing the boy now, certainly if he remained in Konoha he would become a thorn in Akatsuki's side.

He would have bashed the boy's skull in with Samehada, but something stopped him. It was a nagging feeling that he didn't want to mettle in Uchiha affairs. This was Itachi's fight and with one as unpredictable as his partner, he didn't know how Itachi would react. Anger, or apathy, he wondered. Itachi had left his brother alive for some reason. He could deduce that much.

Why would he leave Sasuke alive if he killed all the other Uchiha children? In that moment, Kisame wondered if Itachi cared for Sasuke. It could also be that Itachi hated the boy. He was six years older. Itachi stood to lose a lot of his parent's attention because of Sasuke. Perhaps he resented Sasuke for that. Though, why would he leave his brother alive then?

The situation perplexed him. He decided to leave Sasuke where he lay. Killing Itachi's brother wasn't a priority to him. However, finding Itachi's motives was. He left the shrine and eventually made his way into what he thought was Itachi's childhood home. It was the biggest one in the small district.

Entering the home, he found it covered in dust. Not surprising, he doubted anyone had even been in here since the bodies were cleared out. He searched the house for anything out of the ordinary that could be a hint to finding what he wanted, but it appeared to be a normal home.

Eventually, he came upon a thick binder. Dusting off the top, he read the title. "Itachi and Sasuke's photo album." He read. Intrigued he opened to the first page and leafed through the plastic casings. What he found surprised him. In the earlier photos, Itachi seemed happy. He held Sasuke when the boy was an infant. He smiled at his brother. When had Itachi ever smiled?

However, as the years progressed, Itachi seemed to be more and more depressed. Despite this, one thing always remained true. He looked at Sasuke lovingly in each photo. It wasn't in his face, but in his eyes that revealed the truth to Kisame. Itachi's eyes sparkled with life when he watched his brother. It was such a drastic difference from the dead eyes Itachi possessed now.

Kisame realized that Itachi loved his brother, that's why he spared him. Itachi, the merciless, kin slaying, Uchiha loved his brother. This revelation led to many questions, but few answers.

What had driven Itachi to murder his family and ruin his brother's life? If he loved his brother so much, how could he leave his brother in this situation? The implications were confusing. Why would Itachi be willing to accept Sasuke's hatred and hostility if he loved him? There had to be another reason, Kisame realized.

He realized he didn't know enough about Itachi to draw conclusions about his character, or why he decided to choose one thing over another.

Kisame slipped one of the pictures of Sasuke and Itachi from its place. He pocketed it and closed the book softly. It was clear that there was much he still needed to find out about Itachi.

Overall, this trip to Konoha had been very productive for him. He hadn't expected to find the Kyuubi child. Neither had Itachi. The mission was relatively pointless. It seemed like a desperate stretch. Kisame knew enough about the plan to know that the Kyuubi was extremely important. It was the strongest bijuu. So naturally, it needed to be captured.

As he stepped from Itachi's childhood home, he noticed the smoke billowing in the distance. No doubt, that is where Itachi was. He might as well join Itachi in the fun. Sasuke was not the challenge he desired. It was intriguing to see how Sasuke improved, but despite the boy's obvious improvements from when they fought in Wave, he wasn't a challenge to Kisame.

He wanted a fight; he was practically itching for one. However, Itachi had been very clear about their motives. They were not to engage in large-scale battle. It would be against their best interest to have the entire village hounding them.

That's why he was curious to see whom Itachi was battling. With such a large detonation, it must have been someone worth fighting. Perhaps it was Jiraiya of the Sannin. Reports indicated he was back in Konoha.

Kisame reached the scene with relative ease, though was disappointed to see that the Toad Sage was not present. Instead, there seemed to be a gathering force of Konoha shinobi, none of which he could readily identify.

One of the shinobi dashed toward Itachi, but was yanked back what appeared to be the leader of the impromptu force. "Stand down." He hissed the command into the man's year and shoved the anxious man behind.

"Uchiha Itachi." He spoke with a commanding tone. "Come with us willingly and there will be no trouble. However, if you fight back, we will use any force necessary to bring you to submission."

Kisame recognized that voice. Morino Ibiki, he realized. His information must be stale if he thought that he could bring down Itachi. Fighting a man like Itachi was different than fighting other shinobi. You could never trust your eyes against Itachi. Itachi was all about misdirection and deception, there was no way a typical shinobi could stand to the teen.

Itachi seemed to notice his appearance, which alerted the Konoha shinobi to his position. He stepped from the shadows.

"Hoshigaki…" Ibiki growled lowly. Yes, Kisame realized, they had fought once. He had barely escaped that time. This time around it would be different. He made to draw Samehada, but a hand on his shoulder stopped him. Itachi was beside him.

"We've gathered all the information that we can here, it's time to leave."

Kisame gazed down at what could now only be a clone. The same man lunged for Itachi's clone, this time getting past Ibiki. "Die!" He shrieked. When his kunai imbedded in the clone, he gave a confident smirk before the clone latched onto his arm.

The look of confusion on his face was amusing to Kisame. The clone detonated with concussive force. In the confusion, he and Itachi escaped through the woods.

Now seemed like a better time than any. Kisame retrieved the photo from his pocket and handed it to the teen. "I thought you might like this." He smiled mockingly.

Itachi gave it one long look before igniting it with a snap of his fingers. The picture burned quickly and as they ran through the trees, the burnt photo slowly disintegrated to nothing.

Well played, Itachi. Though, he wouldn't expect anything less from the teen.

o0o0o0o

**Soolal**

Preview: Naruto's training continues


	8. Naruto II

Naruto

_The tears had stopped long ago. He couldn't cry from the pain anymore, no matter how terrible it was. No matter how much he screamed the pain did not stop. It made no difference in the end._

_Naruto tugged at the chains that tethered him to the wall. He was in so much pain he could barely even budge his body. Despair weighed heavily on his soul. He would die here. He knew that much. _

"_I'm surprised you're still conscious. Not many would have lasted as long as you have." His emotionless voice was off putting to Naruto. The mask that covered his face was as blank as his emotions. _

"_W-why?" He spoke hoarsely. He could barely utter that single word. _

_The masked root member continued. "When you no longer fear pain, sorrow, and despair, you will be free. When you no longer fear death, you will become greater than you ever were." _

"…_I can't…" _

_His masked torturer wasted little time in his reply. "Your sole purpose in life is to be a shinobi. It would be convenient if you were able to survive, but ultimately, not necessary. The demon can be resealed. Do not doubt that. Your life is no more than convenience for Konoha. If you fail, I will take your life." _

_Naruto remained silent. It had been explained to him before, but it was still surreal. The masked man would explain it to him anytime he asked, but Naruto only fell deeper into his despair each time. He didn't want to die, not yet. Not after he had seemingly been saved from death by Lord Danzo. _

_However, it appeared as though he had to prove himself. He didn't doubt that they would kill him if he failed. Why was he special if not for the demon in his gut? _

"_I will ask again." The masked shinobi lifted the white-hot metal from the forge. "I can end your misery now, or I can continue your training."_

_Naruto shook his head slowly. He could barely muster the strength for such a simple action. _

_The man pulled his tantō from its sheath and placed the tip of the blade at Naruto's heart. "I can give you the gift of mercy. All you need is to do is nod."_

_Naruto wanted to nod. He wanted to be done with the pain, misery, and despair, but he couldn't force himself to do it. He shook his head. _

"_Very well." _

_He pushed the searing hot metal onto Naruto's chest. Naruto screamed until he lost his voice. _

_**Later**_

"_Why do you continue to deny the gift of mercy?"_

'_I don't want to die', Naruto thought to himself, but he didn't answer. He just shook his head in despair. _

"_At this point, I'm doing you a favor. I can't see you passing the training now. The time that most recruits pass was long ago. You're hopeless, just look at your body." _

_The man was right. His chest, stomach, and legs were covered in burn scars. He hated looking at his mangled flesh; it just reminded him that the man would be back later. However, that was better than dying. _

"_You're worthless. You aren't even fit to be the Kyuubi's jinchuuriki anymore. It's the only reason you're alive." _

_It was true. He suspected he would have died by now if it hadn't been for his accelerated healing. For the first time in his life, Naruto was glad he had the Kyuubi. _

"_Your value is decreasing daily. How can you expect to be useful if you can't pass this training? How do you expect to serve Konoha if you are so weak? I will leave you with that thought." _

_The man left and Naruto was embraced by darkness once again. Time went on and Naruto quickly lost track of day and night. Whether it had been days or months was lost to him. His body had healed, but the scars remained. They were a constant reminder of his pitiful state of mind and body. _

_Naruto had come to realize that without the Kyuubi he was nothing. Without the Kyuubi, he wasn't worthy of being a shinobi. He wasn't even worthy of life. The beast had saved his life numerous times after all. What was his purpose if not to use the beast in service of Konoha. _

_In that moment, he realized something else. Without the Kyuubi, he wasn't a pariah or a criminal. He was nothing and no one. Everything he had become was because of the Kyuubi. Every time someone acknowledged him, they thought of the Kyuubi. The Kyuubi defined his identity, he realized in a moment of hopelessness. _

_He had no reason to keep living. He'd failed at everything he had ever attempted and let down everyone that he had ever met. It didn't matter how hard he tried, Naruto realized. No matter what he did, the stigma of failure would follow him to his grave. The Kyuubi's presence inside him would always mean more to people than anything he could ever do. _

_This time, he did cry. He tried to keep a stiff lip, but he let loose a wail of anguish. He cried because he had no one and no reason to keep living. Friend, student, shinobi, jinchuuriki, that's what Naruto was. But now, he had no one and he was too weak to be the Kyuubi's jinchuuriki. Everything that defined who he was didn't matter anymore._

_Naruto cried because he'd let down everyone he had ever cared about. He let down the old man Hokage, Kakashi, Sakura, and Sasuke. He wasn't strong enough to keep living._

_All his pent up emotion and frustration from the moment he was sent to prison poured out of him. He wished he were dead. He truly did now. The realities of his life were too much. He was someone who had failed his life purpose and ruined the lives of his friends. He wouldn't be surprised if Sasuke and Sakura hated him until their dying day. _

_He cried for what seemed like eternity, but finally he decided that he would accept the gift of mercy and end it. At least then, Konoha would be able to properly use the Kyuubi. He smiled softly as he drifted to sleep. He accepted death. _

_**Present**_

The iron door to his pitch-black cell opened slowly. Naruto squinted and turned away from the light that invaded his room.

The blank masked man walked up to him silently. He unsheathed his tantō and placed the tip at Naruto heart. "Your decision. Do you accept the gift of mercy?"

Naruto nodded. "Yes." He closed in anticipation of the cold steel piercing his heart, but it never came. Instead, the man sheathed his tantō and untethered him from the wall. Naruto dropped to his knees when released.

"What are you doing?" He asked in surprise.

"This portion of your training is complete."

Naruto felt hollow. All this time and after he'd finally accepted death, he wasn't given it. He was ready to give it all up. He shook his head in denial. "No…"

He thought that he would get his wish of death, but Naruto finally realized what this part of the training was. He no longer feared pain, despair, or death. He had been freed of his restraints. It was a test to see if he could grow. Everything had seemed so real when he'd experienced it, but looking back, he could see the test evolve in his memories. He understood now.

Standing slowly, he watched the blank man irately. He seethed silently and his rage built toward this man. His breathing increased dramatically and his heavy chakra took form. "AAARRRRRGGGHHHH!" He shouted. Chakra chains burst from his chest and abdomen.

The man was caught off guard and the chains drove through his body and impacted in the far wall with great force. His blood trickled from the spots where the chains impaled him. He grunted as he tried to yank them free.

Naruto slid toward him slowly. He gripped the man's tantō and pulled it free. He placed the tip at the man's heart. With a shove Naruto pushed the tantō through him. When he ripped the tantō free blood splashed onto Naruto's face.

The man slumped against the wall and Naruto allowed his chakra chains to slowly dissipate. The now gaping wounds in the man bled profusely. They stained Naruto's feet red. The warmth of the man's blood felt nice against his bare soles.

At the beginning, Naruto had feared the man whenever he came. Killing him felt right. His fear had been palpable, but now, he didn't fear death or its consequences. He was free.

"Well done, Saisei." Danzo's voice caught Naruto's attention. He would have attacked the elderly man as well, but found himself compelled not to. The man was his only hope of protecting Konoha. Naruto had no other choice but to follow the man wherever his path led.

"You aren't mad that I killed him?" Naruto finally asked.

"I had expected you would attempt to. He was prepared to die after your training was complete."

He didn't fear death, Naruto realized. "I feel… stronger." He looked at the dead man's body. He had done that so easily.

"Most recruits do after the step in training. Walk with me." Danzo motioned for Naruto to follow him. The two walked down the hall.

"You remind me quite a bit of myself when I was younger." Danzo mentioned.

The comment caught Naruto off guard. He would never have compared himself to a man as cynical and cold as Danzo was. "Really?" Naruto asked. It was difficult to imagine that Danzo had ever been anything like him.

"There was a time when I was a hot headed youth like you. I was young and arrogant. You and I were alike in that sense." Danzo gazed upon Naruto's red hair. "However, that was before I started this organization. After Hiruzen became the Third Hokage, I realized that my place was not in the light, as his was. So instead, I embraced the darkness. I became the roots of the village, taking missions that Hiruzen could not publically admit to taking."

Naruto gazed at Danzo skeptically. "He knew about Root?"

"He was resistant at first, but with a the First Shinobi War raging, he couldn't afford to be righteous. Root has been instrumental in the success of the village. However, after the three wars, Hiruzen was no longer willing to support the decisions Root made. He ordered Root to be shut down."

"Then why are there so many Root operatives? Why am I in Root if that is true?"

Danzo shook his head. "With so many enemies, I couldn't let Root die. I built this underground fortress for the purpose of hiding our actions from Hiruzen. However, he knew that Root was important to the village, so he turned a blind eye instead. That was until your rampage in Wave. He came to me when you were first imprisoned and asked me to save you. It was his last resort and of course, I accepted. I knew that I could mold you into a proper shinobi. One capable of changing the future."

Naruto remained silent.

"For decades, Root has lacked the force needed to accomplish our goals as well as Konoha's goals. However, a new age is dawning and young promising shinobi, the likes of which Konoha hasn't seen in decades, are emerging. You are among the very best of this generation. Do not doubt that. You will achieve great things for Konoha among Root's forces. You may not be in the limelight like your classmates, but you will undoubtedly be the driving force behind Konoha."

Naruto pondered on Danzo's words carefully. "What is it that Root wants to accomplish exactly?" He found himself wondering this sometimes. It seemed as though Root had no overreaching goal, but Danzo had vaguely mentioned Root's goals in the past.

"That isn't something you need to worry about right now. In time, our goals will be revealed." Danzo ushered Naruto down a hall with a light tap of his hand.

"If I'm the leading force behind Konoha, I should be made aware of these plans, shouldn't I?" Naruto replied stubbornly.

Danzo snorted softly. "I mentioned that you would become the driving force, not that you are. As it stands, you are young and inexperienced. You lack the skills necessary. When I feel that the time is appropriate, you will be well aware of what your position is in our goals."

Naruto huffed. He hated being kept in the dark. He should never have expected it to be any different. This is the way it had been his entire life. Why should it change now?

The two shinobi stopped at a door near the end of the hall. "Your first mission will begin tomorrow."

"My first mission?" Naruto asked curiously.

Danzo nodded. "You will be part of a small squad that will accompany me to the Land of Wind. I have important business with the Kazekage."

Danzo stopped next to a door. He opened it to reveal a bed. "This is where you will sleep. Get some rest. We will leave promptly tomorrow morning."

The door closed softly behind him, but Naruto didn't seem to notice. He was more concerned with his living conditions. His room was sparse, but exceedingly clean. The only furniture in the room was a bed and five drawers built into the wall.

Naruto sat on the bed and cupped his face with his hands, the events of the day suddenly making little sense at all. What had he become? Not so long ago, he would never have wanted to kill that man, no matter what he had done to him. He was only following orders. Why hadn't he wanted to take his rage out on the man who had put him through that? Danzo was the one who was truly responsible.

In truth, he had been ready to attack Danzo, the consequences be damned, until he laid eyes upon the old man. Why had merely gazing upon the old man sated his desire so greatly? There had to be an explanation for that.

Whatever happened to his bloodlust in that moment, he was glad that it diminished so greatly. Otherwise, he would have dug a hole for himself. That was something that he could not afford to do in this fragile situation. If he had done that and had somehow escaped, there was no way that he could fight the entire village. It wasn't feasible.

This was his last and only chance to do the right thing and protect Konoha. But if that was true, why did he feel so empty.

o0o0o0o

**Soolal**

Preview: Sakura hitches a ride


	9. Sakura III

Sakura

A month ago, Sakura never could have imagined that she would be where she was now. She was both mentally and physically stronger. She never would have had the courage to do the things she was doing now had she not experienced the atrocities of the Land of Waves. She had vowed, then and there, to get stronger.

She critically gazed at her reflection in the mirror. Her forehead wasn't that large, was it? This was something that still plagued her mind no matter how much she grew. Sakura twirled a strand of her hair purposefully for a moment. It was now or never, she decided.

She pulled the hair taunt and cut it off. It flittered to the tiles of her bathroom floor. She mentally prepared herself. There is no turning back. She gripped her hair and cut. Sakura closed her eyes tightly because she knew that if she looked at herself now, she would lose the will to continue.

That wasn't an option. She needed to leave. For her shinobi friends, teachers, and Naruto. But mostly, she was leaving for herself. She would never grow in Konoha. Her home had become oppressive; her school was conditioned to mold her into just another civilian. She would not stand for that. Not now, or ever.

When her hair was crudely cut short, she buzzed the rest off with a hair buzzer. Opening her eyes, she peered at herself in the mirror. She barely recognized herself. The girl before her was different. However, this girl was tougher. She was meaner. This girl could stand up for herself. This is the girl she wanted to become.

Sakura had to admit that without any make up or hair, she looked somewhat like a boy. A month ago, this would have killed her. But now, it was a necessity. The road was a dangerous place for a girl.

She glanced at the discarded hair on the floor. She would have to clean this bathroom thoroughly, or else Konoha would know what to look for. She wanted them thinking that they were looking for a girl with long flowing hair, not a boy with a shaved head. If they found all her hair carelessly disposed of, they would know that she had cut it all off.

She would have to be careful where she hid the hair. Flushing the hair down the toilet or burning it were not options. If she flushed it, the toilet would clog, she was sure of that. If she burned it, the smell would surely attract her parents. Instead, she gathered the hair in a small box. There was only one place she could put this.

Under her bed, there was a loose floorboard that she could pop up. She kept her journal and the White Light Chakra Saber there.

Sakura scurried into her room as discreetly as she could. Lifting the floorboard, she placed the box of hair delicately into the space. No one would find it here. She grabbed her tantō, but left the journal. She wouldn't have any need for the booklet on the road.

Sakura clutched the White Chakra Saber before strapping it to her back. She gathered her remaining belongs and slung her small bag over her shoulder. It was time to leave. However, in this moment, she felt overwhelmed. It was likely that she wouldn't see her parents or friends again for years. She walked over to her dresser slowly.

On the dresser were her two favorite pictures. The first was a photo of her parents and the second was Team 7's photo. She fought back tears as she gazed upon the photos. Could she really leave all she'd ever known? Could she betray her parents and friends? She didn't doubt that her father and Sasuke would never forgive her.

Was she ready to make that kind of commitment? And what was she leaving for? She was leaving for her own selfish goals and aspirations. What did that make her? The right thing to do was to stay and support her precious people. No matter what that meant for her. That's what Naruto would have wanted her to do. The right thing to do was to stay.

Sakura shook her head and wiped her teary eyes. That was certainly the right thing, but what had that line of action ever got her? She'd been walked over by everyone in her life for so long. She was always pushed to the side and ignored. She used to believe that if she supported these people, she would get her chance to shine eventually.

However, she couldn't see that chance now. It was time to stop acting like a subservient little girl. She had to steel her resolve, or else she would never have a future. Naruto would want her to stay, but he would also want what was best for her. He would have understood. At least she hoped he would have.

Wiping away the tears she kissed her hand and touched each picture. This may not be the right decision, but it was the better alternative for her.

The night was almost through. She needed to meet Ami as soon as possible. If they didn't leave tonight, her entire plan would be ruined. That much was evident. Sakura slipped quietly out the window. Using chakra she quietly made her way from her window and into the alleyway. Darkness swallowed her and she used furtive footsteps to make her way through Konoha.

Konoha was easy to travel through at this time of night. There was little chance that anyone would see her. She figured that it wouldn't matter if anyone saw her either way. They wouldn't identify her as Haruno Sakura anyway, so it didn't really matter if she was seen or not.

It only took fifteen minutes for Sakura to traverse the streets until she had reached her destination. Sure enough, the caravan they were to stow away in was nearly ready to leave. It was almost dawn, she realized. Just in time.

"Sakura?" A female voice asked behind her. "Is that you?"

Sakura turned to see Ami, hair and all. Sakura ground her teeth in frustration. "Ami, I told you to cut your hair." She whispered harshly.

"I did!" The girl argued. "I got a new hair cut like you asked. I even dyed it."

In the darkness it was difficult to tell, but it appeared that Ami had dyed her purple hair to red. At least she'd done something right. "Ami, it's not good enough. It just looks like you changed your hairstyle and hair color. People will still recognize you."

"Oh, come on. Is it really that important?" Ami shrugged her shoulders.

"Yes!" She nearly exclaimed. "The more boyish you look, the better. Now, come here." Sakura stood, kunai in hand. If Ami wasn't willing to do it, she would have to. She grabbed Ami's arm and twisted hard. Ami whined softly as she buckled under the painful hold. Sakura spun around to the back of the girl, grabbed Ami's neck and drove her to the ground, pinning Ami under her weight.

"Sakura, stop it! You're hurting me." The girl whimpered.

"Don't give me that." 'Toughen up,' Sakura thought. "This will only take a second." She added as a reassurance.

Sakura took the sharp knife to Ami's hair, cutting it short. It was easier to cut Ami's hair because it wasn't as long as hers hand been. It also helped that she could see what she was doing this time. In the end, Ami's hair was short and red. She didn't look like the Ami others would think of, but that was a good thing. She helped Ami up.

The girl brushed herself off irately. "You didn't have to be such an _ass_!" Ami spit the last word with venom, but Sakura could clearly see the tears in the corner of her eyes. Sakura regretted her harsh actions against the girl.

"I'm sorry, Ami. I just didn't want you to get hurt on the road. There are a lot of bad guys out there and they prey on girls like you and me. This is for our own safety."

Ami sniffled weakly. "I guess you're right…"

Sakura frowned. She would have to be delicate with Ami. "Ami… maybe you shouldn't come with me. This isn't going to be a tea party." She was thinking in the best interests of the girl. She hadn't become a shinobi for a reason.

Ami snorted as she wiped the tears from her eyes. "Don't try and talk me out of this after you just assaulted me so my hair looked right."

She had a point, Sakura realized. Having Ami along for the trip might not be so bad. If Sakura could teach her a few things, then maybe this would go fine. She was still wary, however. "Fine, but since I have a lot more experience than you do, you have to listen to whatever I say. That's the only way this is going to work out."

The girl nodded in understanding. "You're the one helping me, so I'm not really in any position to make demands. Besides, I wouldn't really know what to do if I was by myself." Ami finished embarrassed.

"Well, we'll change that on the road. However, first things first, we need to get rid of this extra hair. Give me a hand will you." Sakura began digging a small hole with her kunai. Ami gathered the hair and the two girls buried it a few inches beneath the ground.

Sakura nodded, satisfied. "That should give us a little bit of extra time."

"Only a little? How will they ever know we buried it here?" Ami questioned.

"Well, if someone passed by here, I'm sure they would have no clue that it was here, but do you see how this soil is slightly darker than what's around it? Someone who's looking here will find the hair that's buried." Sakura explained.

"How will they know to search here?"

"This spot is covered in our scents. We rolled around on the ground and no one is better at smelling dirt than an Inuzuka. They'll have this location pegged hours after they realize we're gone." Sakura shrugged. "There isn't anything we can do about that."

"How can you be so sure they'll find us? The world is a huge place!" Ami argued.

Sakura shook her head. "That won't matter. Konoha has some of the best tracking shinobi in all of the five great nations. I don't doubt that someone will figure out that we hitched a ride on a caravan."

"Then what's the point of all this if we're going to be found anyway? Who even says they'll send anyone after someone like you or me. We're both civilians now, remember?" Ami crossed her arms. Her voice carried a hint of frustration.

"No, I don't doubt that my parents will hire shinobi to find us. They have the money for at least a C-rank mission, but will probably put forth even more to find us. That being said, Konoha will probably choose a specialized tracking team to intercept us at the arrival destination. That's why we've got to stay two steps ahead of them." Sakura pulled out her map.

"We aren't going to take the caravan all the way to its destination, however. See this river." She pointed to a long river that flowed east to west all the way from the eastern coast of the Land of Fire well into the Land of Rain. "We'll be crossing this river in approximately one day. It's about a hundred miles north of Konoha, so if we keep a steady pace, we should make it there sometime today or tomorrow."

Ami nodded. "What does the river have to do with this? Are we going to take a boat west? I thought we were heading for the capital."

"We are heading to the capital, but we'll have to take a slight detour to shake off our pursuers. It's important that we aren't found, so we need to take every precaution. When we get there, we'll jump off the caravan and into the river. That way, our scents will be almost impossible to pick up by the Inuzuka's dogs." Sakura explained as she rolled up the map.

Ami appeared to be wary of the plan. "Sakura, do you know how dangerous it is to jump into a river? The underwater currents in a river like that are strong enough to pull you under. Even the best swimmers would think twice before jumping in."

Sakura smirked. "We won't be swimming. I'll be walking on the water. You don't have to worry, I'll carry you for a short distance, at least until we reach the shore."

"Walk on water?" Her eyes lit up. "How is that possible?"

"It's a shinobi technique where one channels chakra directly to their feet. It allows one to walk up vertical surfaces and across water. There are other applications that I can explain later, but that's the general gist of it. I have relatively small chakra reserves, so I was able to learn it easily."

"Why is that?" Ami inquired.

"There is usually a direct relationship between chakra size and chakra control in young shinobi. The more chakra one has, the more difficult it is to control." Kakashi had explained that to them when they had learned it. "That being said, I have pretty abysmal chakra reserves, so it's naturally easier for me to not waste chakra. I expect you'll catch on pretty quickly since, like me, you probably have pretty weak reserves."

"When will I be able to learn water walking?" Ami asked curiously.

"When I deem that we're far enough that it will become almost impossible to continue tracking us. After that, we'll only train when I can be reasonably sure it's safe. There is a chance that we'll need to fight out there and this training is very draining. I don't want you to get killed because you over exerted yourself during training."

"So, it'll take awhile to get stronger."

Sakura nodded. "Until we reach the capital, don't expect that we'll be getting much better."

Ami nodded. "So once we reach the capital, what will we do?"

Honestly, Sakura hadn't really thought that much into it. She was far more concerned with getting there. "Well, first and foremost, I'll be getting my tantō repaired. After I've done that, I'm sure we can find someone to apprentice us. There are a lot of freelance shinobi in the capital who work as bodyguards for high-ranking officials and politicians. I'm sure if we search long enough, someone will take an interest."

"That plan doesn't seem very solid." Ami answered curtly.

"Well, I can't be expected to think of everything, can I?" Sakura complained. "It will work out, I'm sure."

"Sakura, I don't want to end up as some street rat because of weak planning. Do you have any skills besides being a shinobi that will lead to a secure job?"

"Do you?" Sakura asked incredulously. They were young after all.

"I'm pretty good at sewing. I've been learning since I was a little girl." Ami beamed proudly.

"Well good for you. You can work, while I search for someone to apprentice us."

Ami seemed reluctant. "I can't support both of us forever. You'll have to find a job too."

"This isn't something we need to worry about now. We don't even know what awaits us in the capital. What we need to worry about right now is actually getting there. We can fret over jobs when we get to the capital." Sakura answered in a frustrated manner.

"Right now, we need to get onto that caravan before it leaves." She added.

Ami nodded and the two girls stowed away as quietly as they could. It didn't take long for the wheels to start moving. The rhythm of the ride made Sakura sleepy. It didn't help that she had barely gotten any sleep the night before. It had been more important that she make sure that everything was in order. Besides, she had to cut her hair at the last minute. How else would she have hidden a shaved head if she hadn't?

It didn't take long to doze off and Sakura found herself in and out of sleep for most of the day. Right now was the best time to sleep. She would have to be alert tonight. Most caravans were attacked during the night, but she didn't fear being attacked yet. They were too close to Konoha. Regular patrols often crossed paths with this road. The real danger would begin when they crossed the massive river.

Past that river, it was more difficult for Konoha to reach in time. The nearest villages besides Konoha, Kumogakure and Otogakure, were quite a distance away. The Land of Fire was truly massive.

Sakura spent the day practicing her chakra control. She balanced the tip of the kunai on her finger. Normally, this wouldn't be absurdly difficult, but the constant jostling of the caravan made it that much more of a challenge. It also provided a way to keep her from the boredom of this ride.

Like water walking, she constantly had to change the way her chakra moved around the tip of the blade to match the rough and unpredictable way the caravan moved. All things considered, she was proud that she was doing relatively well. Out of all the rookies, she had the best chakra control.

The caravan hit a bump in the road and the blade lost its balance. As it clattered to the floor, Sakura realized that night had been upon them for a while. It wouldn't be much longer before they hit the river.

Sakura peaked her head out of the back to get a good look ahead. She couldn't see it, but she could hear the water rushing close by. The river wouldn't be too far ahead.

She shook Ami to wake her. "Wake up. We're almost here."

Ami rubbed her eyes tiredly.

"When we get to the river, grab onto my back." Sakura directed.

Ami nodded and without a word, she clung to Sakura.

As the river neared, she thought about her friends at home. She thought of Ino's playful teasing. She reminisced about Shikamaru and Choji's easygoing nature. She thought of the way Kiba always had an upbeat attitude, even when things looked bad. She remembered the calm, but reassuring air that encompassed Shino. She remembered the way Hinata would watch Naruto throughout the class an adoring look on her face. They were all her friends, but she thought about Sasuke the most.

He would hate her. He would never forgive her for leaving him in Team 7's most dire time. She hoped that one day, she would have a chance to explain herself.

The river was right below them. With a hop, the two girls descended into the water. The river enclosed around them. The water was warm and murky, Sakura thought. Channeling Chakra to her feet, she bolted to the surface.

Reaching the top of the water, she pulled herself up with Ami on her back. Sakura took a moment to take in the view. The river flowed gently below her feet. The pine forest came right up to the shore and the world smelled new and fresh. Sakura basked in the glow of the full moon.

She was free.

o0o0o0o

**Soolal**

Preview: Naruto begins his mission.


	10. Sasuke II

Sasuke

Sasuke meandered aimlessly through the streets of Konoha. This type of behavior went against everything he knew. There was no point to wandering throughout the village. He should be going somewhere. However, despite how strange his behavior was, he felt compelled to do so. It was probably because of his dream.

He was sure that this dream was different than his regular ones. The first clue was that he remembered it more clearly than the average dream. Similar to his first two Mangekyou dreams, this one was tainted red as well.

These dreams were disturbing in a way. It was difficult to discern what they meant, if anything. His first dream with the snake was frightening. If something like this were true, would he be able to stop it? Could it be stopped at all? In any case, the dreams were troubling. His third dream was especially concerning.

In this particular dream, he could see a city burning brightly in the night. Smoke billowed high into the sky and the screams of men, women, and children alike pierced his ears. The thing that most disturbed him, however, was not the actual destruction of the village, it was the wind that blew by him. The wind carried ashes and leaves. He wondered what that meant.

If the leaves were any indication of what was to come, this was the destruction of Konoha that he had envisioned. He didn't know when this would happen, but he had already informed Lord Jiraiya on the details of the dream. Sasuke had been instructed not to worry. Konoha would be sure to keep a sharp eye out for any strange movements in the bordering nations.

That's why he was wandering through the village with no destination in mind. It could be one of the last times he ever knew his home. If there was anything he could do to stop Konoha's destruction, he would do it. This was Naruto's home after all. He wouldn't let anyone take that from his friend. He knew Naruto was alive. He could feel it, somewhat like an intuition. He owed it to Naruto to keep the village alive and prospering.

An ANBU member landed next to him. "Sasuke-san." He greeted. "Lord Jiraiya has requested your presence."

Sasuke nodded in affirmation and redirected his route to the Hokage tower. He was surprisingly close, he realized. The Hokage tower was the tallest building in Konoha, standing nearly two stories taller than any other structure, but still a good thirty to forty feet shorter than the tallest tree.

The interior of the building was beautifully maintained. The hard wood floors reminded him of home and they symbolized the wealth of the village. The ceilings were vaulted and gave the room an air of importance.

"They're waiting for you upstairs." The secretary noted as she scribbled down a few notes onto her clipboard. Sasuke grunted in acknowledge meant and headed up the spiraling oak staircase.

Upon entering the Hokage's office, he found Lord Jiraiya sitting behind the Hokage's desk. The Toad Sannin had taken the position of temporary Hokage while the Third was away from the village. Sasuke also noted the presence of Team 8, Team 10, and Team Gai as well as a couple he didn't recognize. The woman was crying softly while the man held a stern and unyielding look to his face.

"Good, we're all here." Jiraiya observed.

"Is there a reason that all the rookie teams have been assembled?" Asuma asked as he tapped the end of his cigarette, a chunk of ash falling into an ashtray beside the table. "Surely other teams would be better suited for a mission like this."

"I'm afraid that despite how inexperienced your teams are, it is imperative that we get their input on this mission. It could be crucial to completing the mission quickly." Jiraiya explained. "For those that don't know, I've called the rookie teams together because you all knew Haruno Sakura best. Recently, she has been reported missing from the village. It has yet to be determined if she was kidnapped or simply left on her own. The only thing we know is that she hasn't been home in forty-eight hours." The serious tone Jiraiya used seemed stiff and unnatural.

"Additionally, a girl your age has also disappeared. Her name was Takashi Ami. As of now, the two are being treated as separate disappearances until evidence to the contrary is discovered."

"Please… y-you have to find my daughter." Sakura's mother sobbed. Sakura's father remained glacial. Sasuke was shocked that Sakura would do something like this. It was clear that her parents were torn up about this. What would lead Sakura down this kind of path?

"Sakura's gone missing?" Ino blurted out. "Why?" She seemed more frantic than any of the other genin assembled. Sasuke, himself, was waiting for more definitive evidence before he lost his temper at Sakura's disappearance. Being kidnapped and leaving were two entirely separate things.

Jiraiya sighed. "That's what your mission is. Find out what happened to Sakura. She possessed some valuable village secrets and a kidnapping can't be ruled out yet. If another village was curious about what exactly happened on the classified Wave mission, kidnapping one of Naruto's teammates would be an excellent opportunity to find out."

Jiraiya directed his attention to the gathered teams. "This mission is of high importance to the village. As of now, the mission has been deemed an A-class mission, with possibility of increased rank. Team Gai, Team 8, Team 10, and Sasuke." He addressed. "Your mission is to find when and where Sakura exited the village and follow the trail as best you can. Dismissed."

The genin teams turned to leave. "Meet outside the Hokage Tower." Kurenai ordered. "We'll discuss our strategy there." The teams gathered outside the Hokage Tower.

"I think it's best if we spilt up to cover as much ground as possible." Asuma suggested. He ground out his cigarette with his foot. "My team isn't as specialized in tracking as Team 8 or Team Gai. For that reason, I believe it's best if my team asks around to see where exactly Sakura has been in the last couple of days. That way, we'll be able to piece together a picture." Shikamaru's intelligence would help with that matter.

Gai nodded seriously. "I agree. My team can take Sakura's home. With Neji's Byakugan we should be able to find trace amounts of chakra use left behind in her home."

"Team 8, will track Sakura's most recent movements throughout the village. Most likely, Kiba will be able to follow Sakura's scent through the village."

"Where should I go?" Sasuke asked. He didn't like being left out of a mission. It appeared that he didn't really have a place here.

"You can come with us, Sasuke!" Gai suggested.

Asuma nodded. "With that settled, we can split."

"Wait." Kurenai grabbed Asuma's arm before he was able to leave. "I think it's important that we ask the kids if Sakura was acting strangely in the last weeks. It could lead to important information."

The group's eyes turned to Sasuke.

Sasuke turned away. "I don't really know much. Sakura was acting strange after the Wave mission, though that's not surprising. The mission was a disaster."

"Strange how?" Kiba asked.

Sasuke thought it over. The only thing he could think of was that Sakura had become less annoying. "She was… more mature, I guess." Sasuke summed it up to her finally realizing what the shinobi world was about.

"Well, that doesn't really help." Neji huffed. Sasuke glared at the Hyuuga. He never liked how superior most Hyuuga acted.

"Sakura, Tenten, and I spent some time together after she returned from the mission. I didn't know her before that, but she always seemed mature for her age." Lee commented.

Tenten nodded. "That reminds me of when I first met Sakura. She came into our family's weapons shop with the White Light Chakra Saber. My father told her he couldn't fix it, but he told her that a man named Sato Shuuzen could. He's the best smith in all of Fire country. I didn't think anything of it then, but I think it's a possibility that Sakura might have headed to the capital to get it fixed."

"Where did she get a weapon like that?" Asuma asked, surprised.

"I gave it to her." The genin teams looked up to the roof where Kakashi was sitting. He jumped from the roof and joined the group. "I knew she still wanted to be a kunoichi, but I didn't think she would go to these lengths to continue."

"You should be more aware of your genin's motives, Kakashi." Kurenai scowled.

"I no longer teach any genin. Besides, Sakura is a civilian now."

"And whose fault is that?" Kurenai asked crossing her arms.

Gai intervened between the two. "Now, now. There's no point in dwelling on past actions. What's important is that we have a motive for Sakura's disappearance. That being said, we still need more evidence."

The squad leaders nodded. "Meet back here in an hour." Asuma instructed.

With that, Sasuke followed Team Gai to Sakura's house. "I think the best place to start is Sakura's room. It's the most likely place that Sakura would hide something." Gai reasoned.

The team nodded and headed for Sakura's room. The room was relatively small, at least in comparison to the room he'd had as a child. The room was a disorganized mess. Sasuke felt uneasy because of that. The room would take forever to short through.

"Byakugan." Neji spoke as he clasped his hands together. Sasuke watched Neji carefully.

"Under the bed." The attention of the group turned to Neji. "There's something in a compartment under the bed." The genin moved toward the bed.

However, before they made it to the bed, Gai held his hand out to stop them. "Wait. This could be a trap."

"Sakura would never set a trap that would be dangerous for us." Lee argued.

"We don't know that." Gai retorted. "Because Sakura left Konoha, all her previous behavior must be scrutinized closely." Lee nodded uneasily. Sasuke figured it was hard for him to accept that fact. It was definitely hard for Sasuke. He would never have expected Sakura to do anything like this.

"Neji, can you see if there is any chakra built up anywhere in this compartment?" Gai asked.

Neji nodded and gazed intently at the compartment in the floor. He shook his head. "There seems to be nothing but a box in the compartment."

Gai unlatched the floor under the bed and pulled out the small box. Upon opening it, his gaze intensified. "It seems that Sakura cut her hair before she left."

"Why would she do that?" Tenten asked. Sasuke found himself very curious as well. He knew Sakura cared about her hair quite a bit.

Gai shook his head sadly. "This is almost irrefutable evidence of Sakura's motives. She cut her hair because that way it would be more difficult for her to be identified. Sakura went out of her way to hide the hair. She has planned many steps ahead. This was definitely premeditated."

Sasuke felt his anger rising to the surface, but he squashed it as best he could. He couldn't afford to get mad before he knew exactly why Sakura left him. Why did she leave Konoha?

"We need to report this immediately. Stay here. I'll be back shortly." Gai left the room, hair in hand.

"Why would Sakura do something like this?" Lee asked, a hint of betrayal in his voice.

Tenten shook her head. "I didn't think someone like her would ever do something like this. She always appeared to be kind of a girly girl to me. You know?"

Sasuke had managed to not speak to his fellow genin, but it seemed unavoidable when all eyes in the room fell on him.

"Did she give any signs that she would do this?" Neji asked.

Sasuke grit his teeth in frustration. How many times were they going to ask him this question? "Like I already said, Sakura never gave any signs that she was capable of something like this. To be honest, I didn't think she was skilled enough."

Lee frowned. "Do not speak about Sakura like that. She is a very talented genin and one of the smartest people I know!"

Sasuke felt a great deal of shame because of Lee's words. He truly didn't know Sakura very well at all, despite being her teammate. Lee knew more about her. Sasuke struggled to keep the grimace off of his face, but failed. "I admit I didn't know her very well, but we had only been a team for a short while."

Lee seemed like he wanted to argue further, but Gai walked back into the room at that moment. "We're meeting at the gates. The others have found evidence."

When they reached the gate, the rest of the genin had already gathered. Kiba held a fistful of red hair. "This is definitely Ami's. It's got her scent all over it."

Kurenai smiled at Kiba's accomplishment. "Very good, Kiba." She became serious. "We tracked Ami and Sakura to this spot. It appears they met here and Ami cut off the rest of her hair. There's no doubt in my mind now that Sakura masterminded this entire situation."

Choji sighed tiredly. "I never would have expected Sakura to lead us in circles like this."

"Yeah." Ino added. "I can't believe that Sakura would do something like this. It has to be a set up!"

Asuma frowned lightly as he puffed on his cigarette. "That's a very unlikely scenario at this point. The only scents out here are Sakura and Ami's. Which means that they most likely left alone." He turned his attention to the group. "We discovered that Sakura most likely left in a caravan from this gate. Its destination was the capital."

"All the evidence points that way." Kurenai added. "What Sakura has led Ami into is very dangerous. It's imperative that we leave _immediately_." Kurenai stressed.

The group nodded. "Pack accordingly and meet back at this gate in fifteen minutes." Asuma commanded.

The group split. Sasuke vowed he would find Sakura and when he did he would get her to reveal why she left. He was sure of that.

o0o0o0o

**Soolal**

Preview: Naruto's mission in Suna begins.


	11. Naruto III

Naruto

Suna was a drastically different place than Konoha. That much was evident. During the day, the scorching sun roasted anything it touched, but in the evening, it became a cold and desolate wasteland. Naruto found this place infuriating. He felt vulnerable here. There was no place to hide. No place to duck for cover. He didn't think he would miss trees this much.

The sandy dunes left no place to hide from the sun or enemies. He had read somewhere that Suna's people were very much like the desert. Since they could not hide from the sun or their enemies in the vast expanses of sand, they developed into confrontational and brash people.

However, he had never met anyone from Suna to convince him of this. He supposed that the book was merely making generalizations about the personality types of the five nations. The book had stated that people from the Land of Fire and Konoha were quick to anger and often unpredictable in nature. He was certainly an example of this.

This trip was shaping up to be one he doubted he would enjoy. It would be a chance to learn about a new culture, but he wondered if it would be worth the trouble to travel through miles upon miles of desert to get there. Finally, however, the journey seemed to be coming to a close. Suna wasn't too far off.

It had been on the horizon for miles, but only now, up close, did he realize it was here. It blended in so well with the background that he would have missed it if he hadn't been looking. It was just like how Konoha was difficult to find if one didn't know where to look. It was nestled in the middle of hundreds of miles of forest. One could easily get lost looking for the famed village. He realized it was probably similar for each of the villages.

Naruto wanted to complain about their journey, to say something about how ridiculous it had all been, but neither Danzo nor Torune had said a word since their departure. Saying anything negative now would be looked down upon. Danzo would make some backhanded remark and he would be left to brood for the rest of the journey. He'd rather remain silent than be looked down upon. Complaining would do him no good in this case.

Upon reaching the entrance to the city, they were greeted by an envoy of more than twelve shinobi. They appeared wary of only three shinobi. Though, Danzo exploits in the First Shinobi War were apparently devastating to other villages. It was natural to be wary of this kind of man.

"Lord Danzo, the Kazekage has been expecting you. My name is Baki. Allow me to escort you there." Baki covered half his face with a cloth. The other half was heavily painted, a practice Naruto was unfamiliar with. It seemed that cloth coverings were common in Suna. Every single member of the envoy had some sort of cloth arrangement covering part of his or her faces and necks.

Danzo, Torune, and Naruto were led through the village at a sedate pace. Danzo seemed rather pleased at the pace, Naruto realized. Danzo was well aware of the slight against his health and strength, but what the Suna envoy didn't realize is that this was actually the Root leader's intention. It was an opportunity to feign weakness, something that Danzo loved to do. The cane and bandages added to this effect. Danzo had taught him that it was always better if an enemy underestimated your abilities. Suna was clearly doing that right now.

Instead of pondering on lessons already learned, Naruto took this time gaze at the village. Every single building was entirely built out of sandstone. It was certainly a look he had never seen before, though, he didn't particularly like it. It made everything look too similar. Nothing stood out to him. It would be easy for him to get lost in here.

It took the group a good forty-five minutes to saunter through the village. The entire time, Naruto prayed for the group to speed up. No one from either group said a word. Finally, they reached a large building. It was easily the tallest building in the village.

"The Kazekage is waiting inside. We will be here to escort you to the sleeping arrangements we have prepared for you." Baki tried to come off as sincere, but instead he seemed annoyed.

Naruto followed Danzo into the large building. The inside was extravagantly decorated. The things that caught Naruto's eyes almost immediately were the beautiful hand woven rugs that hung from the walls and the ornate pottery on display. It was the first time on this trip that Naruto was immensely impressed. These were beautiful. He had never seen a red dye so rich and vibrant.

The group was led through the building until the came to a large office. Upon entering, Naruto found a man of medium size sitting in a chair. He appeared very regal to Naruto. Almost his entire body was clothed. Only his stern dark eyes shone.

"Lord Danzo, it is wonderful to see you again. Please, take a seat. " He motioned to the three seats in front of his desk. "Akemi, would you please bring us some tea? I'm sure that Lord Danzo would like to relax after his trip." He addressed the secretary politely for someone in his position.

Danzo used his cane as support as he eased into the chair. "Thank you for your hospitality. It can be hard to come by these days." He spoke leisurely.

"I find that most leaders do not take the appropriate measures to starting a diplomatic mission. My guests should be comfortable when we speak." Naruto couldn't see it, but he was sure that the Kazekage was smiling underneath his loose mask. He wondered if there was some kind of ulterior motive to the Kazekage's gestures.

"I remember the Third Kazekage was fond of making sure his guests were treated well. However, Lady Chiyo always seemed in a hurry to get rid of any emissaries."

The Kazekage laughed lightly. "Lady Chiyo would certainly be the last person I chose for diplomatic mission. Age has made her distrustful. Speaking of age." He paused as he laced his fingers together. "I hope this journey was not too strenuous on you." The barb was delicate enough to seem like genuine concern, but Danzo had warned Naruto against this. The Kazekage came off to most as a soft-spoken man, but under his mask, he was as cruel and disparaging as a man could be. In short, he was not to be trusted.

"Your concern is duly noted, Lord Kazekage. You should know that I only leave the safety of my village when a mission is of the utmost importance." The way Danzo spoke, it was difficult to tell if he was being serious or if he too was taunting the Kazekage. His voice was more gruff than usual and he sounded older, so Naruto presumed that he was using a trick.

The Kazekage laughed lightly. "I'm flattered." He did not seem to be falling for it. Akemi knocked on the door at that moment. "Come in." The Kazekage spoke gently.

Akemi served the tea to the shinobi present. Each teacup was gently placed beside its recipient. The Kazekage set his cup to the table, presumably to let it cool. Naruto was sure that Danzo would barely drink his tea, if at all. He was sure that he and Torune would not be drinking. They had masks on after all. It left Naruto wondering why the Kazekage had even asked for tea.

"Thank you, Akemi." She bowed before scurrying out of the room.

The Kazekage lifted his mask so that no one could see his face, but just enough to sip at his tea. "Akemi always makes the best tea." He commented as he set his tea on the table. He adopted a more serious manner.

"Now that we have our refreshments, why don't we get down to business?" The Kazekage stated. "I had heard that the esteemed Third Hokage was stepping down. Is this true?"

"Unfortunately, with the recent trouble in the Land of Waves. Hiruzen decided to give up the position of Hokage. He announced it to the village earlier this week."

"A tragedy. I'm sure Konoha will bounce back, however. Konoha will still be hosting the chunin exams, correct?" The Kazekage asked.

Danzo shook his head. "It's unfortunate, but with the current state of affairs in the world, we decided it was best to pass."

Naruto tensed at the look of the Kazekage. He seemed extremely irked by this information. However, as soon as it came, it passed. "That truly is regrettable. I was looking forward to seeing Konoha again. It has been almost three years since I've seen the city. However, we would be honored if you would allow us to host the exams in your stead. I presume that is why you wanted to meet?"

Naruto knew from reading that if a planned host for a chunin exam passed, they could choose an ally to host the exam instead. This allowed smaller countries like Taki to get chances at the chunin exam. It was a show of good faith between allies.

"That was our intention." Danzo nodded. "Sunagakure has a pristine track record when hosting the chunin exams."

The Kazekage laughed faintly. "This is truly short notice, however, it is a difficult to pass up such an opportunity to show off Suna's future shinobi. Did you know that my son, Gaara, will be competing in the exams?"

"I would find it strange if he wasn't." Danzo's face remained passive.

"True. He has come into his own as of late. I hope that Konoha will be sending their best. It would be disappointing if Konoha's genin could not compete with Gaara." The Kazekage sipped at his tea.

Naruto wondered if he would be able to defeat Gaara. The way the Kazekage talked him up, he seemed to be the top Suna genin. "Konoha intends to make a good showing in this exam." Danzo answered.

"As is expected." The Kazekage moved to stand. "That being said, time is running out today. Before I let you leave, I'd like to discuss something… private with you."

"Of course." Danzo stood slowly before turning his attention to his operatives. "Torune, Saisei. You have been dismissed for tonight."

The four shinobi walked out of the office. Danzo and the Kazekage turned left down a long hall. Naruto and Torune followed Akemi to the outside of the building. They were then escorted to a hotel in the center of the city.

Once inside their room, Torune turned to Naruto. "Saisei." He addressed. "Lord Danzo has ordered me to tell you that your mission is not complete yet. He wishes for you to scout the village."

"How will I be able to get out? We're being heavily watched, aren't we?" Naruto asked, unsure of how he would succeed without getting caught.

Torune switched off the lights. "There is a vent in the bathroom. It's only big enough for a small child, like you, to fit through. I would be more suited for the mission, but I wouldn't be able to leave the building undetected, thus, the only choice is you."

Naruto nodded discreetly. "What happens if I get caught?" He asked, though he knew the answer already.

"It would be better if no one caught you. However, in a situation where you are discovered, you will have to fight to kill." Torune explained stoically.

"I'll do my best."

"Let's hope that you do." Torune responded.

Naruto decided that he didn't really like Root agents. They were very straightforward and not in a good way. He supposed it was something he would have to get used to. He didn't particularly like Danzo's derisive comments either, but this was the only place he was welcome now.

He slid into the vent. There was just enough room for his shoulders. Finally, his size was an advantage. Though, in another three months, he probably wouldn't be able to do this. He noticed that he was growing rapidly lately.

He didn't particularly know where to go in this vent, however. As of now, his only choice was to move forward through the vent. If he was presented with a cross roads, he didn't really know where he would go. He figured that he would eventually find his way out.

This trip was shaping up to be interesting at least. The Kazekage seemed like a genuinely nice person on the outside. If Danzo hadn't told him of his true nature, the Kazekage would seem polite and regal, though Naruto could feel the undertones of contempt. Whether it was for Danzo or Konoha as a whole, Naruto did not know.

It didn't take long for Naruto to reach the outside of the building. It appeared as though the ventilation system was less complicated than he initially anticipated. Once on the outside, Naruto didn't particularly know what information he was supposed to be gathering. He had never been on this type of mission before. The only real mission he had undertaken was a protection detail that went terribly wrong.

They should never have let him continue being a shinobi. He was grateful that Danzo had taken him as an apprentice despite the risks. He surely didn't deserve a second chance. If it hadn't been for the Kyuubi he wouldn't have received one at all.

That's why he had to do his best to gather some kind of information for Konoha. Even the tiniest bit could help Konoha. He figured that the best place to start was an administrative building. That's where the important things would be stored. He didn't particularly know where to start, so that was his only real guess.

The night was brisk and a startling contrast from the hot blistering sun that shone throughout the day. The eerie feeling this village gave him didn't bode well to the success of his mission. The silence was unnerving. Worried that he would be caught, he figured that he could at least take the most basic measures to ward off suspicion.

The transformation technique had always been a forte of his during his academy years. It wasn't hard to mimic the style of an average Suna shinobi after spending the better part of the evening following them around. The technique took form and Naruto immediately felt more secure ambling through the village under the guise of a native.

It didn't take him long to find his way back to an administrative building. The only question now was to find the best way in. He channeled chakra through his feet and climbed the wall. However, only half way up, he lurched to a stop. Looking down to his feet, he noticed that they were completely covered in hardened sand.

"What is your name?" The voice sounded strained and impatient. Naruto gazed up to the roof to find a red haired boy around his age. His hand was held out, clenched into a fist. "Tell me, before I crush you."

The moment the two made eye contact, they both knew. It was as if he felt a connection to the red haired boy. He could feel the bijuu pulsing dangerously beneath his skin. From the startled, almost crazed look the other boy held, he could feel the connection too. Things could only get worse from here Naruto figured.

Acting on instinct, he pulled out a low-grade explosive tag and slapped it at his feet. It detonated with a crack and he bounded off the wall.

His pant legs were destroyed by the small blast. Naruto almost collapsed to his knees then and there, but he managed to stay on his feet. The light burns ached, but the debris that shot into his shins and thighs erupted with pain as he tried to move. He grit his teeth through it. He had been through worse.

Naruto was given little time to think or recoup as the red headed boy's sand technique raced toward him. Using every last bit of speed he had, Naruto dodged the incoming sand only to find that the technique didn't work linearly. The boy had absolute control over the sand. That didn't bode well for Naruto. He didn't have many offensive techniques to combat a technique of that caliber.

Thinking quickly, Naruto pulled out two smoke bombs and detonated them at his feet. This would at least give him time to recuperate. If the boy didn't know where he was, Naruto would have the advantage. The boy didn't seem to move at all when using the technique. Either he couldn't move and concentrate on the technique simultaneously, or he simply didn't feel the need to. In either case, Naruto knew where the crazed boy was, but the boy didn't know where he was.

Creating a shadow clone, Naruto sent it racing toward the red head. It burst from the smoke at high speed and headed straight for Gaara. The trick to defeating a long-range specialist was to engage in close combat where, most likely, they weren't very strong. The clone attacked ruthlessly, but couldn't get within a foot of the red head. The sand created a protective shield. Naruto's foot sank deep into the sand. He tried to wrench his leg free, but to no avail. The sand raced up his leg and engulfed the clone quickly. With his right hand, the red headed boy clenched it tightly.

His clone was ruthlessly crushed under the pressure. The memories raced back to Naruto. He cringed at the thought of being crushed. This guy was serious about killing him. However, Naruto believed that he still possessed the advantage. He now knew what his opponent's techniques did while remaining hidden from sight.

The boy seemed to be getting fed up with their battle. Naruto presumed that his battle's never lasted long. Naruto realized how dangerous an opponent this boy was. He was strong in long range, but even more lethal in close range. Naruto would have to be a lot faster to even attempt to combat the red head in close range.

This time, he created four clones. Perhaps the sand could only eliminate one enemy at a time. Though, he doubted it would be that easy. The clones burst from the smoke. One was skewered almost immediately, signifying that the red head knew exactly where the clones were coming from. The other three surrounded the red head and attacked in unison. The sand lurched up protectively. All three clone's attacks were disrupted and easily destroyed.

Naruto knew he wouldn't be able to win this battle. He knew that it was important that he be able to kill this red head, but he simply didn't have the offensive capabilities to bypass such an unbelievably strong defense. At this point, he might not even be able to escape alive. He couldn't tap into the Kyuubi's chakra. That would certainly give him the speed to get around his defense, but would also alert every shinobi here that he was the Kyuubi's jinchuuriki. He was supposed to be dead. He couldn't let his identity be discovered. Naruto grit his teeth in anger. He was essentially forced to fail this mission. Not only would he not come back with information, but this boy also knew that he was a jinchuuriki. It wouldn't be hard it figure out his identity. At this point, his only option was escape.

He could only think of one move strong enough to escape the red head, but he didn't have it completely under control. No, he barely knew how to control the prized secret technique, chakra chains. However, it was his last hope. He would last much longer if his legs continued to bleed as they were now. There was no time to waste.

He created another clone, but this time he didn't send it out of the smoke cloud. His clone concentrated on his chakra for what seemed like a good minute before the chains manifested and ripped through the smoke. They entangled the surprised red head.

"W-what?" The red head gasped in a haggard tone. As the boy struggled to free himself, Naruto escaped to the safety of the empty streets. His only choice now was to return to the vents empty handed and compromised.

o0o0o0o

**Soolal**

Preview: Sasuke and the rookies search for Sakura in the vast forests of the Land of Fire.


	12. Story Hiatus

Hey Folks,

For those that enjoy this fanfic, I'm sorry. I've decided to take Untame the Fire down for a major rewrite. There are a few reasons that I've decided to do this that I will try to explain in this letter.

First, I'm not satisfied at where this story is heading. I've attempted stories before on , under a different name, and failed because of my lack of planning. If there are any of you out there that might consider submitting something to this site the most important piece of advice that I can give you is the importance of planning. It is extremely easy to hit a roadblock in writing. If you plan the plot ahead of time, it becomes much easier to stay on top of updates.

That being said, I did not fall into this particular pitfall this time around. In fact, I've outlined about 30 chapters. If my memory serves correct, Part 1 of this story is 28 chapters long. 11 chapters have been written so far.

The next reason I've decided to take the story down for a rewrite is my current schedule in real life. I'm a student at a university and finals are rapidly approaching. Obviously, I would like to do the best that I possibly can. Unfortunately, fanfiction does not come into that equation. It usually takes me 3 days to write a new chapter, but as it stands, I don't have that kind of time anymore.

However, I want to make this story as great as I possibly can. I'm going to beef up some of the chapters and revise others. The Naruto and Sasuke storylines especially need attention. I intended to write Naruto as more close to Danzo than to Root operatives in his personality. By no means has he lost his personality, will, and ideologies. The training he underwent was more for control over his emotions. That being said, I don't think I did a great job of portraying this.

As it stands, we're just about to get into the meat of the story starting around chapter 12. Honestly, I'm pretty stoked about the coming chapters. I feel like there are some great chapters ahead and I want to set them up properly. The character story lines weave together and we'll get some nice results. At least that's how I intended it to happen.

I expect to do most of the rewrite over winter break, so I should get the new chapters out by sometime in 2013.

On a final note, I'm thinking of renaming the story, any suggestions would be welcome.

As a reference point here are my notes on the first 11 chapters of the story. Some of the summaries are rather short. That is because I didn't write out the summaries in a word document until about chapter 7.

**Untame the Fire Chapter summaries subject to change**

**Part 1**

**Prologue**: The tragedy happens. We are first introduced to Naruto, Sasuke, Sakura, and Kisame. The first changes are seen in Sakura and Sasuke.

**Chapter 1**: Sakura is forced out of the shinobi program. Growth in personality is not quite there yet. She wants to change however. She receives White Light Chakra Saber

**Chapter 2**: Sasuke has a strange dream and seeks out Kakashi. He's an angry boy. We find out Sasuke has the Mangekyou Sharingan and will enter ANBU. He sees Naruto changing in his dream.

**Chapter 3**: Kisame is suspicious of Itachi. Finds Itachi doing suspicious activities with an unknown man.

**Chapter 4**: Sakura goes to school and hates it. Begins planning her escape. Meets Ami, who wants to join her. Tells Sasuke sorry.

**Chapter 5**: Naruto finally reappears. Wallows in misery, but is saved from prison by Danzo and joins Root. Begins training.

**Chapter 6**: Kisame is back as the two Akatsuki members travel to Konoha to find out where Naruto has disappeared. Kisame searches through the Uchiha district and finds evidence that Itachi loves Sasuke. Fight Sasuke and easily defeats him.

**Chapter 7**: Flashbacks of Naruto's training. It is brutal training to harden him. He succeeds and promptly kills the man who tortured him. Danzo uses his Sharingan to influence Naruto not to go overboard. Naruto subconsciously stops himself from attacking Danzo. We find out Naruto is going on a mission with Danzo.

**Chapter 8**: Sakura leaves Konoha.

**Chapter 9**: Sasuke is called into Jiraiya's office where Team 8, 10, and Gai wait. Sakura's parents are there and news of Sakura's disappearance is troubling, especially with the information she knew. Her parents offer to pay for a C-rank mission, but Jiraiya declines the money stating that this is a mission of paramount importance for the village. Assigns Team 8, 10, Gai, and Sasuke to the mission. They split up looking for clues. Tenten mentions what her father said to Sakura about the smith in the capital. That is the prime spot where Sakura would go they decide and find all caravans going to the capital the day she left. There were two, but both took the same road.

**Chapter 10**: Naruto arrives in Suna and is escorted along with Danzo and Torune to the Kazekage's office. Danzo and the Kazekage discuss the new arrangements of the Chunin exams as Konoha has decided they will no longer host them. The Kazekage seems irked about this reveal but agrees to host the exams if Konoha will send their best and brightest. Kazekage and Danzo leave to discuss more personal and private matters. Later that evening, Naruto is attacked by Gaara and learns the disturbing truth that there are worse jinchuuriki out there than him.


End file.
